


The Avengers: The Umbrella Academy

by thatgay_bitch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies) RPF, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (why tf isn’t that a tag? He’s a great bro), Andrew Garfield Spider-Man: Tom Holland Peter Parker, BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, BAMF Michelle Jones, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Vanya Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves Friendship, Ben Hargreeves Lives, Ben Hargreeves' Tentacles | Bentacles, F/F, F/M, Gen, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) Lives, Klaus Hargreeves is a good bro, Lesbian Vanya Hargreeves, Luther Hargreeves Has a Human Body, M/M, Modern Dave Katz, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Police Officer Diego Hargreeves, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Protective Luther Hargreeves, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, The Avengers Are Good Bros, The Hargreeves Are Good Bros, Tony Stark Has A Heart, no beta we die like (wo)men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 90,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25339597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgay_bitch/pseuds/thatgay_bitch
Summary: Tony Stark, running on spite and ten cups of coffee, adopts seven mysterious children right out from under Sir Reginald Hargreeves's nose. Being nineteen at the time, Tony is forced to do the best he can. He raises them like he never was; with a loving and encouraging father. When Five disappears he feels like his life was flipped upside down. He manages to cope, just barely and decides to move them far away from the place where he swears he can still see Five.When they choose to use their powers to help people Tony follows them like their guardian angel. He watches out for them even after they move on with their lives. He gets to marry the love of his life and have the family he never got to while growing up.So, what happens when Thanos strikes and snaps? What happens when Five returns from the dead to tell him that the world is supposed to end in eight days?They go back to where it all fell apart of course. Back to the day Five disappeared. They change the timeline more than they hope.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov (mentioned), Dave & Klaus Hargreeves, Dave/Klaus Hargreeves, Grace Hargreeves/Jarvis (Iron Man Movies), Hargreeves Kids & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/ Steve Rogers, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Vanya Hargreeves/Original Female Character(s), Vanya Hargreeves/Sissy
Comments: 194
Kudos: 685





	1. 1989

On the twelfth hour of the first day of October 1989, forty-three women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer resolved to locate and adopt as many as he could. 

He got none of them. 

Tony Stark slipped under his radar and went out first. He first heard the news from his AI, Jarvis, and headed out as quickly as he could. He was nineteen and running spite alone. He promised visitation with the mothers and anything else they could possibly want, in the end, none of them accepted. 

He got seven of them. 

Raising a child had not been high on his to-do list as a nineteen-year-old heir to the family fortune, let alone seven. He wasn’t equipped for his split-second decision, even dead his father sought to remind him every day. Luckily for him, and all involved, he had his friend to help him. 

James Rhodes was just a regular MIT student. He also happened to be the only person that could stand Tony Stark and his brash choices. Adopting seven extraordinary children fell under that category. 

“C’mon, Tones, just admit that you have no clue what you’re doing,” Rhodey whined when the third baby started to cry. 

“No, I know exactly what I’m doing,” Tony tried to say as convincingly as possible, but the wince when the child started to cry was enough to say otherwise. 

“I’m calling mom,” Rhodey sighed and stood up. 

“No, don’t call Mrs. Rhodes. She’ll kill me, platypus. Let me make a couple of calls,” he pleaded. Rhodey hung up before anyone could answer and stared at his friend with a raised eyebrow. 

“You better know what you’re doing.” 

In the end, seven fine women were hired to be their nannies. Tony still spent as much time with them as he could, but he was a full-time MIT student and time was hard to find. 

Luther’s nanny, Agatha Premellow, was a kind woman. She was cheerful and always took what the kid gave her in stride. She was one of the few that stayed. She was multilingual, able to speak up to seven languages. She would often sing the blond boy to sleep as his new father studied hard in the next room. What she didn’t know was that one German lullaby she sang caused Tony to break down because it reminded him of his mother. 

Diego’s nanny, Ms. Rosa Rosalie, was just like the flower she was named after sweet but able to harm in an instant. She treated her charge like her own son, often standing in as a mother figure. She was bilingual and often spoke and sang in Spanish. Most of the time she didn’t seem to notice she was doing it. She was who Tony picked up his Spanish and his love for cooking. 

Allison’s nanny, a woman by the name of Aiko Dunn, was often seen as stuck up or snooty. However, she was just a woman raised for the upper-class while born into the middle-class. Oftentimes, Tony would be reminded of his mother in the way she talks to the baby. Aiko talks to the little girl as if she is the most precious thing in the world. Whenever Tony walks by the nursery he most often has the pleasure of hearing that last little bit of a tale that the woman made up. 

Klaus’s nanny, the sweetest of them all. Her name was Haven Ramos. A fine choice for Klaus and Tony figured both suited each other perfectly. Klaus was a very giggly and happy baby and Haven fed into that nature. She would nurture the good attributes while filing out the bad, without any even seeming to notice. She spoke the most languages out of them all and often would switch during long-winded rants about how Tony, as a single father, needs a decent sleep schedule. 

Five's nanny, originally named Brandon, was named Felicity Harold. She was a portly woman with a no-nonsense kind of attitude. Perfect for the type of baby Five was. Five mostly stuck to himself and wasn’t very outgoing, most often sticking with counting toys rather than playing with his brothers and sisters. Tony felt most like Five in a way, when he was younger he would always choose anything to keep his mind stimulated over the company of others. His nanny only spoke English but she was very proper with it. 

Ben’s nanny, Grace Delacour, had been Tony’s favorite by far. She was the only other nanny to stick around after the children started showing what powers they had. Grace had been kind and loving to everyone. She would tuck Ben into bed with a bedtime story then press a kiss to everyone’s foreheads. Often, Grace would check in on Tony too to make sure he was getting the proper amount of sleep. She was the type of woman he wished his mother was. 

Finally, Vanya’s nanny, Reine Livingston. She was a beautiful woman with an affinity for music. Late at night, Tony would often hear his mother’s piano being played often followed by the soft giggle of a baby. Reine hadn’t been close to Tony, mostly sticking to her job as Vanya’s nanny, but sometimes he would catch a whiff of her perfume and find a peanut butter and jelly sandwich sitting on his desk beside his open textbook. 

Each nanny raised the children in their own way. By the time the children started showing Tony was graduating college. Most would say it was early, a twenty-year-old with a Ph.D. But, Tony would argue that it finally happened. Graduating gave him more time to spend with his children and less time worrying about being the top of his class. 

The first child to show any semblance of power was Klaus. When he was around seven months old he spoke his first word. It was a German word and everyone was clueless how he learned it. It wasn’t until he was nine months that he started to string sentences together that he yelled out the words “Grandma’s here.” It was Tony’s first panic attack that day. When he recovered he made sure to praise Klaus for all the good work he was doing. Tony told Jarvis to note everything about Klaus after that day. 

The second was Vanya. Tony noticed that when Reine played the piano sound waves seemed to emit from the baby. At first, he chalked it up to his lack of sleep, but he kept noticing it. He noticed that the waves would vary based on the tune the nanny played. If it was happy, everyone else seemed happy. If it was sad, etc. etc.

They just turned a year when Reine quit. She claimed to have enough of the weird house she was staying in. That night a heavyweight seemed to settle over the house as it felt too quiet. The only way for Tony to get Vanya to bed was to play for her. He didn’t know many songs but the ones he did know carried a lot of emotions. That night, everyone fell asleep in a somber mood. 

The next one to show their power was Diego. They were eighteen months old and playing with Tony in the living room. He would roll the ball to one of them and laugh when they tried to throw it back. The only success had been Diego, every time. 

Diego was also the fourth to show powers. It was late Wednesday night when Tony heard a scream from the bathroom. He rushed in and saw Rosa hunched over the tub clutching Diego to her chest. When he asked her what happened she said that she thought he drowned. She turned around for a moment to grab the baby shampoo and the next thing she knows is that he’s underwater. When they checked Diego out they found out that he was perfectly fine. According to Jarvis, he could hold his breath for an unaccounted amount of time. Tony was not about to test it. 

The fifth to show powers was Luther. Tony was up getting a drink one night when he almost tripped over the child. He carried him back to bed and was dismayed to see the crib bars bent at odd angles. 

The sixth was Ben. His powers showed one night while his nanny was feeding him. Grace had Ben set up in his highchair as she tried to spoon-feed him peaches when a tentacle popped out from under his shirt and slapped it out of her hand. Tony came racing in when he heard the scream but felt distinctively relieved when both his child and the nanny were fine. When questioned Grace said that Ben must have had retractable tentacles. It was later discovered to be a portal. 

The Allison and Five showed their powers around the same time. Five’s powers showed when he sneezed in his nanny's lap and ended up on the floor three feet away. To say he was not happy was an understatement. 

Allison’s powers showed after she was able to form sentences. Tony noticed one night that her voice seemed to carry the powers of persuasion when he noticed the nanny handing her yet another cookie. After that, Jarvis was told to play loud music anytime he so much as hear Allison mutter “I heard a rumor.” At first, she wasn’t happy but after Tony explained that not many people liked being told what to do she seemed to understand. From then on the music was less and less frequent. 


	2. 2002

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2002 was the year Tony allowed Five to look into his powers more. It was also the year that he would regret the most.

The future is fickle and often not fair. Tony found this out when Five disappeared. The day started as normal as it could with a single father raising seven superpowered thirteen-year-olds. 

Vanya was practicing in the training room so that she wouldn’t accidentally hurt someone. Klaus lit his room on fire the third time that week and it was only Tuesday. Diego was chasing Luther because some choice words were said. Allison and Ben were sitting at the table doing  _ something _ . Some would say it’s bonding others would claim it was torture, either way, they were doing it together. 

Five, however, was the only one  _ not _ trying to kill someone at the moment. He was in the kitchen talking to Tony while he was cooking. They were talking about everyone’s powers with some input from Jarvis and Grace. 

Grace was an android with a self-learning AI that Tony created so the children would have someone there when he was out at meetings and other things. She treated them like her children and they called her mom. 

“So, you’re saying that theoretically, I could time travel?” 

Tony sighed and glanced at his son. Five was the most like him, and he realized how much of a pain he was as a child. But, he still loved him. “That’s what I said. But, time travel can be dangerous. Time is already a dangerous balance, all it would take is one mistake too many and suddenly the world is ending and aliens are taking over.” 

Five rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. You’re just being dramatic. Think about all the possibilities,” Five said, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. “We could stop issues before they arise, help people that don’t even know they need it yet.” 

“Five, look, I would like to look into this ability more but I don’t want you to end up getting hurt. We don’t even know if you can time travel. This is all theoretical stemming from your spatial jumps. Hope and luck say you can but science points away from it. Hundreds of years of scientific advancements and not a single person have been able to figure out how to travel back in time.” 

Five groaned and leaned back against the counter. “If I can’t jump through time then fine I’ll leave it alone, but I at least want to try, dad. I’ve calculated it and so far I should be able to. After lunch, I want to try it. Just three minutes into the future please,” he begged. Tony glanced at him and instantly regretted it. His usually stoic son was pouting. 

“Fine, but if I notice anything that could be going wrong then we are stopping and I don’t want to hear any more about it until you are older and have a better grasp on your abilities. Three minutes no more, and only after you ate,” Tony conceded. 

“Yes,” Five cheered. 

“Get the plates, gremlin.” Five grinned and teleported the plates to the table. Tony glanced up and saw his shit-eating grin. “Smartass.” 

“I learned from the best,” he replied flippantly. 

“Jarvis, can you announce to everyone that food is done?” 

“Of course sir. But, before I do, Master Klaus has set fire to his room again.” 

Tony grumbled under his breath and sent a pointed look at Five before going to put the fire out. “Grace, darling, can you keep an eye on Klaus and keep him from lighting his room on fire?” Grace looked up from her cross stitch and smiled. 

“Of course, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony groaned. “Grace, please just call me Tony.” 

“Will do, Mr. Stark.” He groaned again but continued to Klaus’s room. 

“Klaus, why the fire?” 

Klaus was jumping on his bed and laughing like the mad man he is. “Fire is fun. It also scares the shit out of the ghosts that think they know everything. Ain’t that right, Edwin?” 

Tony stiffened at the name but put the fire out anyways. “You said Edwin, right? As in Edwin Jarvis?” 

Klaus stopped jumping and stared at his dad. “How did you know?” 

Tony sighed. “Just a hunch. C’mon, the food’s done.” 

Klaus jumped off his bed and followed Tony out of the room. When they walked into the dining room everyone else was seated and Five was plating the food. Klaus cheered and sat beside Ben. “This looks great, dad. Bentacles can you pass the salt?” 

Ben sighed at the nickname but passed the salt. “When will you stop calling me that?” 

“Whenever it’s just me and your ghost against the world,” Klaus said darkly. Tony glared at him. 

“What have I told you about joking about your siblings’ deaths?” 

Klaus rolled his eyes. “You told me not to, but honestly its the only coping mechanism that I have left.” 

“Do-do you need a therapist?” Tony asked, food halfway to his mouth. 

“Nope, I’ll be fine. As long as I have Bentacles and Knifeman,” Klaus said, mouth full of food. Tony and Allison grimaced at his lack of manners. 

“K-knifem-man?” Diego stuttered. Klaus shrugged. “I-i hate y-y-you.” 

“No, you don’t,” Klaus said in a sing-song voice. 

Dinner after that was much more subdued, mostly because everyone was eating. Once everyone was done and the plates were in the dishwasher they headed down to the training room. 

“First today will be Five,” Tony said. “He wants to try something new. Five, ask Klaus who he’s seeing three minutes in the future then come back to this moment and tell me what he said, then we’ll ask him and see if it worked. Jarvis, monitor his vitals.” 

Five nodded and stepped into the middle of the room. He clenched his fists and a blue light flared out from them. Not long after that, he was gone. 

“What were his vitals, Jarvis?” 

“Healthy and holding steady.” 

“Thanks, J.” The room was filled with silence as they waited for Five to return. After the three-minute mark passed Tony extremely worried. “Jarvis, where is Five?” 

“It appears he has left the building, sir.” 

“What do you mean ‘left the building’?” 

Jarvis hesitated. “His person left the tower three minutes ago and has not returned since.” 

Tony stood stock still. “He what?” 

“He is currently not here, sir. It appears as if he went too far.” 

“Too far? Jarvis, we need to find him.” 

“Scanning city security feed as we speak sir.” 

Tony cursed and paced the room. The kids all exchanged nervous glances and started to whisper to each other. “Anything?” 

“I’m afraid not, sir. It appears that he is gone.” 

“Jarvis, that isn’t good enough. Find him, now,” Tony snapped. “Don’t you dare tell me that you can’t.” 

Jarvis was silent. Tony looked at his kids and saw how nervous they looked. He attempted a smile but failed miserably. Tony decided that he would take matters into his own hands. He ran down to his lab and got to work on hacking every hackable camera and all the ones that weren’t. In the end, Five was gone. 

Tony stood up and kicked his chair over. Upstairs, everyone heard the sound of things falling and breaking. The children exchanged glances that held a thousand words. The mansion was filled with muttered curses and painful silence. 

Klaus went to his room to see if he could contact Five and was extremely grateful when he couldn’t. Allison and Vanya got to work on making missing posters while Luther, Diego, and Ben tried their best to calm their father. 

Tony had been sober for years, but that was the day that broke him. He opened his liquor cabinet and drank enough to give a lesser man alcohol poisoning. Luther helped him get to bed while Ben curled up at his side. 

The next day was filled with tears and false reassurances. Ben and Allison went out to hang the posters, Vanya choosing to stay behind to help their dad. They planned a funeral in three weeks, it was a private event and heavily secured. Not even reporters could get in or ask any questions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me, it had to be done for plot purposes. I hated writing it though. Please comment if you notice any errors and I will do my best to fix it.


	3. October 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter but it gets the point across. Plus, its more of a filler anyway.

The children’s first birthday without Five had been… odd to say the least. The cake still had seven candles and seven individual cupcakes were still handed out, but they felt different knowing that one candle didn’t have a person behind it and one cupcake wasn’t going to get eaten by its rightful owner. 

There were still gifts for Five, but they were never opened, just piled in his room waiting for his return. Everything felt different that year. The seven chairs placed around the table had one empty. There were fewer people, fewer friends watching happily as the Stark siblings opened their gifts. 

Tony still celebrated because it didn’t feel right not to, but after the celebration, he went down into his lab and closed himself off from the world. They still had fun, no matter how bittersweet it was. They listened to Vanya play her violin, watched Luther and Diego wow them with their talents, painted their nails with Allison and Klaus, and laughed with Ben. 

The children’s friends don’t know what happened to Five, the only thing they know is that he died suddenly. The press says it was a car crash, rumor says that Tony was too irresponsible to take care of them all. Some of them heard their parents mutter about how it was suicide. No one but the family knows for sure, and that’s how they’re going to keep it. 

The party was fun, the gifts were good and the cake was delicious. But, it all felt wrong. Almost like they should wait for Five to get home. Tell them it was an elaborate prank, that he didn’t mean to worry them so much. He never came. 

That day, as well as the other’s to follow, was just as much a celebration as it was a memorial. The public didn’t know any details and they planned on keeping it that way. 

The seven siblings each got a cupcake iced in their favorite color. ~~Five’s favorite was green.~~ Their part of the cake was always a different flavor. Tony took pride in how well it all came together in the end. The presents were wrapped in different colors with the Stark logo on them. 

All of this had been the same since day one. Their first birthday had been memorable, not so much for them, but for their nannies and their father. He talked to the nannies and listened to their stories about growing up. One was a twin and she said how much she hated sharing a birthday because it didn’t make her feel special. 

So, in an effort to make the children feel as special as they could without isolating them, Tony baked seven different cupcakes and iced them the colors of the rainbow. The children, being one, were all overjoyed. They ripped into their cupcakes and threw bits and pieces everywhere. Tony was cleaning cupcakes up for weeks after that. 

The nanny that had a twin had said that what Tony did was wonderful. She said that if her parents did that for her then things might’ve been different between them. 

From that day on, Tony baked the seven cupcakes. One year when all the kids had some sort of disagreement between them all, Tony baked the single cake with seven different flavors to show that they were all in this together. They enjoyed the idea and soon enough, the cake was incorporated in the ritual. 

Tony had always gone overboard with the gifts, why would he not when he was a literal billionaire? He stopped one day after a nanny pointed out that it may not be healthy for the children to be handed everything on a silver platter. From that day, he only got them what they asked for. If they didn’t ask for anything then he would usually build them something small, like a tiny robot. 

The robots never lasted long in a house full of superhuman children, but it was good in the idea. They were small, never over a foot tall, and only able to do basic things. They could repeat what someone told them, or get something from a place they could reach. Often they were tasked with sending messages from one sibling to another, resulting in an argument that would get the poor thing broken. 

Tony wouldn’t say that he was the best parent, but he would say that he was better than Howard and that was a win in his book. Over the years the fighting became less and less. Once Vanya started playing her violin everyone would pile into her room to hear her practice. Tony would have Jarvis play the audio in his lab so he could listen too. Allison and Klaus grew closer over their love of makeup and anything traditionally girly. 

Tony would often have to carry Klaus to his own room because he fell asleep on Allison’s bed. 

But this year everything was different. They still went into Vanya’s room to hear her play but it was different without Five mouthing off anyone that talked and commenting on how good she had gotten. They listened in subdued silence while she played a melancholy tune. Tony drank himself to sleep that night in the lab. 

The public never found out about the real reason behind anything they did. And Tony would claim it was a good thing. The reporters would often say that it was selfish of them to act as if nothing happened, but really they were mourning. They never reported on the more heartbreaking stories, only the ones that the public  _ wanted _ to see. That day, a small part inside everyone died when they watched the seventh candle burn. When they saw the seventh cupcake without anyone to eat it. 

It was never reported how the family struggled for weeks, or how the guests were suddenly kicked out of the mansion because Allison broke down. It was never reported that Tony had a panic attack, only that he was an asshole to those people. It was never reported that they would never be the same. That’s what the public would never find out.


	4. 2005 (3 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Umbrella Academy is unveiled to the world and the first Iron man suit is born.

They were fifteen when they first pitched the idea to Tony. 

"We should use our powers for good," Allison said suddenly. Klaus looked up from his nails and stared at her. 

"I'm sorry I thought I just heard you say that we should become vigilantes but that can't be right because Dad would never allow it."

Allison rolled her eyes and started to apply another coat of nail polish. "You aren't thinking about it right. We can talk him into making us suits or something so that his overprotective dad mode isn't activated. And if that still isn't enough then he can make his own suit and watch over us."

"Alli, I would call you a genius but you don't need the ego boost. I'm gonna go bother dad."

"Aht, nope your nail polish isn't dry yet," she called after him. Klaus waved her off and ran out of the room before she could stop him. 

He ran through the tower, they moved two days after the funeral, and down to the lab. "Dad. Dad. Dad." 

Tony looked up from his work table. "What?"

"Idea. Alli and I were talking while painting our nails and she came up with the idea that we should use our powers to help people, well them more than me, but still." 

Tony sighed. "Klaus, that could be a good idea but what if you guys get hurt?" 

Klaus jumped onto the table, much to his father's dismay. "Alli came up with an idea for that too. You build us suits too keep us safe. And if that still doesn't satisfy the overprotective dad inside you then you could build your own suit and be our guardian angel." 

"Alright," Tony said. He pushed his chair from the table and stood. 

"Seriously?" Klaus spluttered and jumped off the table. 

"Yep. Skirt or pants?" 

Klaus thought about it for a moment. "Interchangeable." 

"Ok, go ask your brothers and sisters." 

That day the Umbrella Academy and Iron man were born. They went through extensive training with Grace and Happy over the next year while Tony perfected the suits. He couldn't figure out a power source until he realized that he could shrink the arc reactor and put it in the chest. 

When the suits were finally done the children were sixteen. They had learned how to disarm anyone and even use their weapons if necessary. It was a long and tedious process that required many hours of training and practice. But, they were finally ready. 

The suits covered as much as they could while still allowing them to use their powers. They were all slightly different depending on the child. 

They were titanium alloy that’s enhanced to be bulletproof. Each suit had repulsors in the hands and feet except for Vanya. She was the only one that didn’t have gloves on her suit. The suits had bullet-proof cowls instead of helmets and were specifically designed for everyone’s needs and wishes. Vanya also had a specially made violin that was for missions only. 

Ben’s suit had a retractable stomach for the eldritch creatures while Allison’s had a special covering over her throat. Luther’s suit was flexible enough that he didn’t break it when he did any heavy lifting. Diego’s suit wasn’t so much a suit as it was specially placed pieces of armor. Tony used a bulletproof material where there weren’t alloy pieces so he would still be covered. His suit was made like this so it wouldn’t hinder his movements and allowed for speed and stealth. Klaus’s suit was slightly different. The usual pant piece on the other suits was able to exchange with a skirt piece that could be taken off and used as a shield.

When they were finally ready to be seen by the world Tony’s suit was halfway done. He was already planning various upgrades for all of the suits. 

Their first mission was a bank robbery and Tony stayed behind to act as their guy in the chair. “Alright, you all remember what I told you?” Tony studied the screen and saw them hiding behind a couple of columns. 

“Yes. Stay out of sight until the last minute,” Luther answered. 

“Try not to get shot,” Diego continued. 

“Definitely don’t get killed,” Klaus said with a maniacal smile. 

“Don’t give away our real names,” Allison replied. 

“Save yourselves before the criminals,” Ben said. 

“And most importantly stay safe,” Vanya finished. 

“I have a question,” Klaus spoke up. He peeked around the pillar and saw three armed robbers. “How are we supposed to stay safe if we are walking into danger?” 

Tony let out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, stay as safe as possible. Be careful with your powers.” He scanned the bank’s security and noted there were seventeen people in total. “Seventeen in total. Seventeen better walk out.” 

“Well duh, we aren’t going to kill them just because they robbed a bank, I may be heartless but I’m no monster,” Klaus replied sounding thoroughly offended. 

“That’s debatable,” Diego mumbled. It was barely heard but of course, they all heard it, Tony was no amateur. 

“Rude. Di, can you take them out?” 

Diego shot Klaus a look and threw three knives around the pillar without even looking. Three pained grunts followed the sound of metal piercing skin. “I d-d-d. Don’t k-know, c-c-an I?” Klaus held up both hands in surrender. 

“Fifteen more to go. Looks like ten hostages being held behind the counter,” Tony said. The distinct sound of a cup being emptied could be heard. 

“Are you drinking something?” Allison pulled a face earning a laugh from Vanya. 

“Focus, children. The world is at stake here and so what if I am? It’s a slushy for your information.” 

“The world is not at stake you are just a dramatic bitch,” Klaus replied. He ran out from behind the pillar and lept over the counter. He counted the hostages and nodded to himself. They looked terrified. 

“Okay, ouch. And rude. More dudes in the vault. Oh, look at that they’re trying to steal gold bars, how cute.” 

Allison and Vanya ran toward the vaults. “How many?” 

“Ten. There are four more guarding the getaway car out back.” Ben ran over to Klaus with a nod at his brothers and together they released the hostages while Luther and Diego took out the remaining guys. “Good job children. Be back home by dinner. There are reporters outside and cops to boot. Go wild.” Tony shut off his mic but continued to listen in to what the children were saying. 

He pushed himself away and moved over to his suit to finish working on it. Meanwhile, the children walked out of the bank after the hostages. When they walked out every gun was aimed at them and it was a little unnerving. 

A woman whispered to a police officer and the order to hold fire was given. “Who are you?” 

Klaus mumbled “The people that just saved their asses, a thank you would be nice,” while Luther, the unofficial official leader called out “The Umbrella Academy.” 

“Show us who you are,” another officer demanded. 

“No can do buckaroo. Now if you’ll excuse us we have better places to be,” Klaus called out then took off. Luther caught up to him in the air and glared at him. They took the long way to the tower and split off halfway there so no one could follow them. 

“Mrs. Stark, I need you to sign this,” Pepper said from somewhere in the tower. They all exchanged looks and walked out of the lab. 

“No can do, Miss Potts. I am needed elsewhere. Ah, children,” Tony exclaimed when he ran across the group. “Did you have a fun field trip?” 

“So much,” Klaus deadpanned. He grinned at Pepper and waved. “Is dad being an ass again?” 

“Funny you should say that. I was just trying to get him to sign this contract to sell the arc reactor designs to hospitals that have long heart transplant waiting lists. It would be experimental, but they believe it could be done.” 

Klaus gasped dramatically. “Dad, think of the children.” 

Tony leveled him with a look. “The children will be fine. This tech is highly expensive and if it falls into the wrong hands it could be catastrophic.” 

“Yep, that sounds about right,” Allison said. “Have them sign an NDA before giving them the blueprints or, you could always just make them for the hospitals. That way you would have control over the outflow.” 

Tony wrapped an arm around Allison’s shoulders and turned to face Pepper. “This is why she is getting the company. I want NDA’s signed by the end of the week. I also want them to have to order them through my company. I want the fourth and fifth floors dedicated to building the reactors when a shipment comes in. The interns and whoever else will also get a portion of the sum because I’m feeling generous.” 

“Is that all?” Pepper’s tone was clipped but they could tell she was happy to finally be getting somewhere. Tony nodded much to everyone’s relief. “Good, I’m going to get lawyers to work everything out with the hospitals and I’ll have the contracts by the end of the week.” She walked away without even a backward glance. 

“You know I don’t want the company,” Allison said once Pepper was out of earshot. “I’m going to become an actress.” 

“I know, but it’s just better if she thinks I have my shit together and not just flying by the seat of my pants,” Tony sighed. He removed his arm and started walking in the direction of the kitchen. 

“Trying to impress her?” Vanya teased. Tony turned and raised his eyebrows. 

“I don’t have to try to impress anyone, I’m just that great.” 

Luther rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Dad, you sure are.” 

“Gasp, was that sarcasm I just heard? Especially to Dad? Did Luther just sass dad?” Klaus spun around and stopped in the middle of the hallway. 

“No, not at all Klaus. There is no possible way I could sass anyone,” Luther deadpanned. Klaus grinned maniacally and reveled in the way everyone seemed to shrink back. 

“My baby brother is growing up,” he said while wiping away a fake tear. 

“We’re the same age.” 

“Actually, you were all born in different time zones so you’re all different ages. Ben is the oldest, the Vanya, Allison, and Klaus, then Diego, Five, finally Luther.” 

“Ben is the oldest?” Klaus screeched. 

Ben looked absolutely proud of himself. “I should be the leader since Luther is the baby.” 

“What? No,” Luther yelled. 

“I think you are all missing the biggest part. Allison and Klaus are twins,” Vanya interrupted. 

“Not necessarily,” Allison cut in. “Klaus and I weren’t born to the same mother just the same time zone.” 

“Way to ruin the fun, Alli,” Klaus sulked. 

Tony continued on to the kitchen with a self-satisfied smirk. “Sir,” Jarvis interrupted. “I believe you should put an end to their arguing before it escalates.” 

“Tell them to take it to the training room if they’re going to fight.” 

Supper was the same as usual, all tension seemed to be resolved. They ate in amiable silence then decided to watch Disney movies before they had to go to bed. 

“Jack-Jack definitely has powers,” Ben commented halfway through the movie. Diego shot him a weird look so he defended himself. “Why else would Edna be a superhero suit designer if she didn’t know a thing or two about them supers? Either she is a super and able to see the future or she knows how to spot one.” 

“He’s got a point,” Klaus said after taking a moment to digest what Ben said. “No way they would have a regular person design suits for supers if they didn’t have any idea what they were working with. Why would they drag in an inexperienced fashion designer and tell her that she has to make damn near indestructible suits for people with unexplainable powers?” 

“Holy shit you’re right,” Luther breathed out. Klaus shrugged and stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “And completely disgusting.” 

They finished the movie and went to bed. Three weeks later Iron man was revealed to the world. Tony kept his identity a secret to protect his kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fcking hate time zones. Like we get it bitch, the Earth is round no need to ruin my day by making it difficult to figure out what time it is somewhere else. And I have a question. Why are there so many time zones in the US alone? Like do we really need all those different times? We get it it's noon in Germany or some shit but do we really need it to be noon in New York and like 5 or something all the way in Cali?


	5. 2010 (8 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron man 1 events with a new timeline bc fck canon.

The siblings were now twenty-one. Vanya and Ben left off for college two years ago. Allison left ten months ago because she got a part in an upcoming movie and Luther was interning at NASA. Diego was off to the Police academy leaving only Klaus left. Klaus chose to stay at the tower and do what he could to help out around the city. Their identities were still a secret, thankfully, so he still went out and stopped petty crimes. 

Tony was out presenting the Jericho missiles he just created and everyone else was returning for semester break sans Allison and Luter. Klaus was just returning from a mission when he saw the news. 

**Playboy, billionaire, philanthropist Tony Stark kidnapped after his own weapons were used to attack his presentation sight.**

Klaus pulled out his phone and raced to the lab to get his suit. 

_ “Klaus, what happened?”  _ Vanya answered. 

“Dad’s been kidnapped. Get here ASAP. Tell Ben the suits are cleaned and have been upgraded together. All fully functional at the moment. We are probably gonna have to save him without Luther and Allison’s help.” 

_ “Slow down, Klaus. Dad was kidnapped? That would explain why he didn’t answer my calls. But, why was he kidnapped? Do they want ransom?” _

Klaus paused. “Jarvis, track dad’s current location. He should be wearing the prototype watch. They haven’t said anything yet, but I’m pretty sure they want him to make weapons for them.” 

_ “Dammit, dad. Ben and I’ll be there in ten, the plane just landed and Happy is on his way. Call Diego and let him know.”  _

“Will do. See you then.” Klaus pulled the lab doors opened and noticed that Tony’s gauntlet watch was sitting on the table. He cursed everything before pulling up Diego’s contact and pressing the call button. “Hey, Di,” Klaus greeted when the other man picked up. 

_ “Klaus, I just saw the news. What are we going to do?”  _

“Well I don’t know about you but Vanya, Ben, and I plan on saving him.”

Diego groaned.  _ “No shit. I was meaning the plan, asshat.”  _

“Oh right, we’ll need one of those. Get your ass over here and we’ll work it out on the jet. I don’t think Allison and Luther will be able to help us without outing themselves.” 

_ “Pepper really should have stopped him from making weapons of mass destruction like she said she was,” _ Diego groaned. The sound of a car engine starting could be faintly heard.  _ “I’ll be there in five if I ignore all traffic laws.”  _

“Don’t get arrested.” Klaus hung up the phone and looked around the lab. His nanosuit was in it’s charging station and would need more time before it was fully charged again. He ran a hand down his face and sighed. Klaus decided to just use Allison’s for the time being. 

He just got the suit on as Diego ran inside. A brief nod was exchanged before Diego grabbed his own suit and put it on. “Did he have his suit charging thing with him?” 

“No, he was just going to show off the missiles so he left without it. He also left without the wrist gauntlet. Which was a very dumbass move for a supposed genius.” 

“Is there any other way to track him?” 

“There is not, I’m afraid,” Jarvis said. “I am currently looking through all security footage in the general area he was last seen in and I don’t see him.” 

“I’m going to have a long talk with him when this is all over,” Klaus ground out. Ben and Vanya ran in and grabbed their suits, deciding to put them on in the jet. 

They boarded the plane and took off immediately. “I can’t believe someone actually had the balls to kidnap Tony Stark. That’s a lawsuit waiting to happen,” Vanya said. 

“Or a funeral,” Ben said darkly. Klaus ignored them in favor of sitting criss-cross and attempting to summon a ghost. 

The jet fell silent as they watched Klaus do his thing. He opened his eyes and stared straight (ha!) ahead and started muttering himself. Ten minutes passed before he focused on the rest of his siblings. “Good news is, he isn’t dead. Bad news, they don’t know where he is. I just sent out a messenger to alert everyone in that area to look out for him but it may be a while before we have an answer.” 

Klaus stood up and flopped onto a seat. Vanya sighed from her seat and closed her eyes. “I swear if an armed robber doesn’t kill me he will,” she muttered. 

“True. At least you don’t have to work the streets of NY anymore,” Klaus said. Ben raised his eyebrows at him. “I know what I said.” 

“You’re so weird,” Diego muttered. “How’s your telekinesis coming along?” 

“Oh, it’s coming along great. Dad is actually having me do things for him around the house but I think that’s more of him being lazy,” Klaus replied. 

“Probably,” Ben agreed. 

When the plane finally touched down in an old Afganistan airfield, the young adults were quick to get out. 

“Update please, J.” 

“I have found a hidden feed that I am currently working on decrypting. I should be through within minutes, Ghost Boy.” 

“Thanks, J.” 

“Isn’t that illegal?” Vanya wondered aloud. 

“So is kidnapping but they didn’t seem to have any qualms with it. They can kiss my жопа if they have a problem with it,” Klaus snapped. They waited a few more minutes before Klaus started muttering to himself again. When he finally came back, he stared at them like he saw a ghost, ironic really. “My messenger just said that they found him. An abandoned warehouse three miles from here, mostly underground. But, he has shrapnel currently inside his chest and the only thing keeping him alive is a battery hooked up to something in his chest.” 

“God,” Diego called up to the clear sky, “you and I are gonna have a lot to talk about if he dies before he gets grandkids.” Nothing happened of course but Diego felt better at least. 

They began the three-mile run and got there around half an hour later. “J, any update?” 

“I’m afraid so, ghost boy. It appears that they are currently watching your father work in a run-down lab. Good news is, he created an arc reactor and was able to remove the battery so he is safe to transport,” Jarvis’s cool British voice called through their comms. 

“Thanks, J.” They flanked the door and waited for a second before allowing Ben to break it down with the eldritch creatures. The noise it created was enough to draw attention and Vanya was the first to go through the door. Her music crippled anyone in her path and everyone was glad they were on the same side. 

They came to fork in the path and stopped before reaching the entrance. Klaus called forth two ghosts and asked them to scope it out. They came back and told them the number of guards that were stationed in front of his cell doors and how many people were monitoring him through the cameras. 

They split up Klaus and Diego after Tony, Ben and Vanya after the people watching the camera feed. Diego took out the guards and Klaus picked the lock with his telekineses. They didn’t bother checking for pulses when they passed the guards. 

To say Tony and his new friend Ho Yinsen were startled when Klaus and Diego rushed in would be an understatement. They led them out to the entrance where they met up with Vanya and Ben. 

“How’d it go?” Klaus asked when they were finally cleared of the building. He nodded to Diego once and the building blew up behind them. 

“When did you find time to do that?” 

“I’m an expert pickpocket,” Klaus replied. Ben and Vanya looked rightfully terrified. 

“Well, it went about as good as it could’ve. If they weren’t dead before they sure are now. Vanya took out guards on our way to the control room and then we opened the door and I let the creatures do their thing. It was bloody.” 

They led the two men to the plane before any more questions were fired off. “Who are you guys?” 

Klaus looked the other man up and down coldly. “You’re saving grace.” 

Tony slapped his shoulder and hissed at him to shut up. “They’re the Umbrella Academy.” 

The man studied the young adults and nodded resolutely. “Friends I take it. Good. Take care of him, I need to get back to my family.” 

With that, he left. They got on the plane and waited for it to take off. “What the hell were you thinking?” Vanya yelled as soon as the door was shut. 

Tony stared at her blankly. “I was thinking that I was going to make a fortune by selling those to the government but it looks like all my weapons are suddenly out of stock.” 

“You complete and utter asshole. It is a wonder you haven’t died yet. What would you have done if we hadn’t been able to get to you? Huh? Would you have just followed their orders like a slave?” It was out of character for Vanya to yell but Klaus and Ben felt proud of their little (older) sister. 

“Okay, I was just held hostage I’m still in shock. Someone give me a blanket and a moment to calm down,” Tony snarked. Vanya glared at him but threw a soft blanket at him. “I didn’t mean literally. Where did this come from? I don’t remember buying it.” 

“You didn’t,” Klaus spoke, “I knitted it myself. I get bored easily and it gives me something to do.” 

Tony nodded and wrapped himself in the blanket anyway. “Any idea who organized it? Because it sure wasn’t those guys. They all shared one collective brain cell that seemed to take the day off.”

His kids let out small chuckles and settled into their seats properly. “I have no clue, but the ghosts probably do.” 

Klaus fell into deep concentration and started to mutter. Ben could have sworn he saw the air shimmer around him. Klaus looked back up at them and smiled grimly. “They don’t know.”

They could tell he was hiding something and when they saw the news the next day saying that Obidiah Stane mysteriously died their suspicion was confirmed. Tony held a press conference a couple of days after that and came out as Iron man. 

The weeks that followed were chaotic. There were reporters swarming the tower and yelling questions at anyone that seemed important. When the press finally died down, everyone was happy. 

They were inside watching a movie and catching up on everything that happened while Ben and Vanya were in college. “I met a guy named Dave,” Klaus said when he was questioned. “He’s really pretty. He has the brightest blue eyes that anyone could get lost in,” Klaus sighed. 

“That’s gay,” Ben said playfully. Klaus pushed him off of the couch and put his feet in the newly vacated seat. 

“We’re just friends, though I may be gay for him,” Klaus replied. Ben resituated himself on the floor and looked up at them all. 

“Don’t worry, Klaus, you aren’t the only gay disaster this family has created,” he replied cheekily. 

“Pan actually and do tell.” 

“He’s talking about me. I met a girl and haven’t shut up about her since or something like that,” Vanya said. She had an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. 

“Oh, what’s her name?” 

“Emily. God, she is gorgeous. I plan on asking her out when we return to school. She’s a dancer and just incredible.” 

“Ooh~ I so can’t wait to meet her,” Klaus said. He rolled over on the couch to face Vanya better. “We need to gossip more often. We haven’t done this enough.” 

“Well, you were always hanging out with Allison and Ben,” Vanya replied. 

“Oh, makeover?” Klaus suggested. Ben and Diego groaned and Vanya lit up like it was Christmas. 

“Hell, yeah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as I was writing this, I went on a downward spiral of videos of Ellen Page talking about her wife. Sooo... Vanya is getting herself a gf even if its the last thing she does.


	6. 2011 (9 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron man 2 events with updated plot sequence. Klaus is able to summon messengers to get info.

Allison and Luther called the tower many times after Tony outed himself. They would have hour-long arguments about how much of a dumbass he was that always ended when Tony said it was so he could be held responsible. Shield contacted him many times and wanted to know how he was connected to the Umbrella Academy but he skillfully avoided answering their questions. He upped his online security to keep anyone that isn’t him out of his systems so they couldn’t find out anything about him or his kids. 

Overall it was an eventful couple of weeks. And there is no way they could forget about Justin Hammer or the Russian guy, Ivan Vanko. 

Tony was at an event with Klaus and Pepper when Justin ambushed him. Well, not exactly ambushed per se. 

“Stark, my man,” Justin said with a fake press smile. The interviewer tried her best to hide her displeasure but anyone with eyes could see that she was less than pleased with the other man’s arrival. “Oh, I’m sorry were you in the middle of something?” 

Klaus shrugged when Tony glanced at him so Tony decided to take this as an opening to leave. “Nope, we were just finishing up. Any more questions can go to my PR team. Have a lovely day.” 

They walked away from the annoyed reporter and found a table in the corner. “God, that Hammer guy sucks.” 

Tony smiled briefly. “Yeah, I know what you mean. You saw the meeting where they tried to place me as a threat.” 

“Well, not just that. He also has that pilot guy following him around and screaming his name. Y’know the guy from the video that he assured was alright? Yeah, he doesn’t look alright,” Klaus shuddered. He folded his arms over his chest and seemed to shrink in on himself. 

“Here,” Tony said, handing him a green pill. “It should work to suppress your abilities slightly, keep all the screamers away. And it isn’t addictive, but the peace might be.” 

“Thanks.” Klaus downed the pill along with some champaign that he snagged off a passing server. “When is Pepper going to be down with her adulting?” 

Tony sighed. “I don’t know, but I’m bored. Don’t tell her, but I plan on racing my own car later.” He held up a finger to his lips and winked conspiratorially. Klaus laughed and nodded. 

“Redhead, coming our way. Looks dangerous, has a shitton of spirits following her. Oh, that’s why.” Tony looked at him quizzically but was waved off when the woman walked up to their table. “Good afternoon, Ms. Romanoff.” 

She froze but her smile stayed in place. “Afternoon, Misters Stark. Lovely event isn’t it?” 

Klaus smiled fakely. “It sure is. You look lovely, can I ask where you got your dress from? I would love one for myself.” He meant what he said. 

Her stiff posture relaxed slightly. It was well known that Klaus dressed however he wanted to. Though many people disagreed with it they never had the chance to say anything to his face. Funny how that works out. “Why thank you. I don’t seem to remember where I got it from though I’m sorry.” 

“Damn.” Her smile softened into something a little more real and Klaus took that as a win. “Anything you would like us to help you with today?” 

“Not at the moment no. I was actually hoping I could speak to Mr. Stark Sr. for a moment or two,” she said. Klaus noticed the dangerous way she held herself and shared a look with his father. 

“Well, I’ll be seeing you guys later then. I need to go find Pepper anyway,” he excused himself and walked away. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure to Ms. Romanoff?” 

“Fury wants to speak to you later. He says it’s important,” she said, all formalities dropped instantly. 

“Tell Fury that I don’t want to speak to him. Better yet, tell him the next time he tries to contact me I’ll try him for harassment. If that’s all Ms. Romanoff I have somewhere to be right now.” He stood up and she didn’t bother to try to stop him.

Klaus was still looking for Pepper when he saw his dad on the tv station that was reporting the race. He had a stupid grin on his face when Pepper finally found him. “You knew he was going to do that,” she accused. 

“I plead the fifth. C’mon, just watch him enjoy himself it’s not like he doesn’t have the nanosuit with him so he’ll be fine.” Pepper sighed and they walked over to an empty table close to the tv. “Watch, he knows what he’s doing twelve percent of the time.” 

“Can you believe he said that to me?” Pepper had a smile now too. It seemed Klaus had the ability to talk his way into anyone’s good graces. 

“Yeah, it seems like a dad thing to do. Look, they’re lining up.” 

They watched the race for a few more minutes until a Russian guy with long dark hair and electrical whips walked onto the track. Klaus could see at least ten ghosts following him. Pepper was up out of her seat in an instant, but Klaus shot his hand up and stopped her. 

“Klaus, he could be in danger,” she said angrily. He tapped his chest twice and dragged her back to her seat to watch what was going to happen. A car was coming closer to the guy and he looked ready to slice it in half when a red suit was seen hovering ten feet above the track. 

Their voices couldn’t be heard but Klaus could tell that his dad was riling up the other guy. They guy lashed out and attempted to hit him but the new suit design was much faster than the last. They danced around each other for a couple more minutes before Tony seemed to get tired of it and aimed a repulsor blast at a homemade arc reactor. He shot the reactor and short-circuited the other guy’s suit thing. The guy was later dragged off by track officials and seen being escorted to a police car. 

Tony waved to the camera before flying off. Klaus’s phone rang and when he checked the caller ID it was him. “Hey, dad. Have fun out there?” 

_ “I did actually. I love this new suit, can’t believe it took me a year to perfect it.”  _

“Practice makes perfect.” Klaus shrugged and Pepper shot him a look. “So, everything okay on you’re end?” 

_ “Yeah, I’ll be good. I’m going back to the tower so you and Pep should meet me there.”  _

Klaus gestured to the door and Pepper followed him out. Everyone was either staring or trying to ask them questions but after years of being closely associated with Tony Stark, they knew how to get through them. “We’re on our way. But, I feel like I should warn you that she isn’t very happy with you, at all.” 

_ “Oh, she’ll be fine. Oh, Fury wants to speak to me later.”  _

Klaus snorted, he knew how these things worked. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Fury could scream and threaten as much as he wanted to and Tony still wouldn’t meet with him, mostly just to spite him. “I bet that’ll go great. Tell him I said hi.” 

_ “Don’t worry Klausy-boo, I’ll make sure he gets the message,” _ Tony laughed. 

“Good, tell him that he needs to cool it a bit with searching for the Umbrella Academy and their mysterious disbandment. Though it is pretty funny to hear Jarvis announce another failed hacking attempt.” Pepper snorted in the seat beside him. Klaus grinned at her. 

_ “Well, Fury still thinks they’re thirty-year-olds with nothing better to do. He’s also said that he tired of the one continuing to run around the city. He doesn’t even know you’re gender at this point,”  _ Tony exclaimed, not even bothering to hide his amusement. 

“That makes two of us,” Klaus joked. Pepper and Tony snorted at the same time and he wondered if they had some sort of mental link. 

_ “Don’t worry, if he assumes I’ll be sure to tell him that he’s wrong every time. I just got in, how far out are you?”  _

Klaus pulled his phone away from his ear and glanced at the time. “About ten minutes ‘till we get there. Don’t forget to say hi to Fury for me.” 

_ “Will do. Tell Pep not to worry about me.”  _

“Got it.” Klaus hung up and pocketed his phone. “Dad said to tell you not to worry but we both know that won’t work. So, are you ever planning on telling him?” 

Pepper shot him a look and shook her head. “No, he doesn’t need to know. I’m just a colleague and nothing more.” 

“He gave you full control of his company. He won’t even put me in charge of a single lab,” Klaus complained. Pepper gave him a fake sympathetic look and patted his arm. “I should start calling you mom².” 

“Yeah, no. So, what was this I hear about Fury?” 

Klaus sighed. “Well, he keeps trying to recruit dad for Shield or some bullshit but dad keeps ghosting him. Y’know, I haven’t heard anything on the news about Hargreeves lately. Did you?”

Pepper shook her head. “No, it’s weird actually. I don’t trust the silence from him. I know he was pretty pissed when Tony got you seven and he didn’t. Then there were all the times that he tried suing or something like that. He was an all-around PR nightmare, but since I’ve become CEO I haven’t heard anything.” 

“Imagine being as salty as him for almost twenty-two years. Dad must have really pissed him off. I can ask around and see if he’s planning something if you want,” Klaus offered. Pepper waved him off and they got out of the car when it came to a stop. 

“No, it’s fine. Just make sure Tony doesn’t end up getting himself killed. I’ll see you both later tonight right?” 

They walked into the building and pushed the button for the elevator. “Yep, dinner at eight o’clock. Don’t be late. I know where you work.” 

She gasped and held a hand up to her chest. “Are you stalking me? I can’t believe this, I better call my employer and let him know.” 

“I have more power over him. He can’t do anything,” Klaus said with a huge grin. 

The elevator opened on their level and the told Jarvis what floors they needed to go to. “Oh, no. I’m terrified. Maybe I should call Not-so-Happy Hogan.” 

Klaus doubled over in laughter. “Nope, you win. I’ll quit stalking you if you ask him out.” 

“Sorry, hun, that isn’t gonna happen,” Pepper said. 

“Damn, well, I tried.” The doors opened and Pepper got off. The elevator continued upward and Klaus got off when they opened again at the top floor. “Dad, is Director Asshole here?” 

A loud sigh and a quieter answered his question. He walked into the living room area and saw Fury sitting on a chair opposite of Tony. “Hey, kid. Come, have a seat, have a drink, and come distract me from this man’s pleading. He really isn’t my type.” 

“Well, if you insist.” Klaus jumped over the back of the couch and landed beside Tony with a huff. He grabbed the offered glass of whiskey and downed it in one go. “So, Director, to what do we owe the pleasure?” 

“I was just discussing a private matter with Stark,” he grouched. 

“Oh, ouch, rejected twice in one day. That’s really gonna hurt my ego. Maybe I should go sulk in my room,” Klaus said with a playful grin. 

“Noooo,” Tony whined. “Don’t leave me alone with him, he keeps trying to get in my pants and it’s icky.” 

“Stark, I would appreciate it if you could take this conversation seriously.” 

“Nope, sorry, can’t. It is physically impossible for me to take anything seriously.” 

“Yeah,” Klaus agreed. “We tried to get him checked out once but the doctor didn’t want to deal with him. I personally don’t blame them.” 

“God there’s two of them,” Fury groaned and rubbed his hands down his face. Klaus and Tony grinned at each other and fist-bumped. “That’s it, Coulson, lock this place down. No one leaves this floor and no one enters.” 

Klaus groaned. “Man, Fury, learn to take a joke.” 

“Oh, I can take a joke. I’m trying to save your old man’s life because he’s a grade-A dumbass.” 

“Oh, ouch, Nikky. Touchie are we?” Klaus spared his father a glance and noticed how gaunt the man looked. Whether it was denial or just being oblivious, he just now noticed the aura of death surrounding him. 

“Christ on a cracker, you are. How could you keep this from us?” Klaus shot up from the couch and ignored Fury’s curious stare. “You, padre, are a dumbass. I know you have been told this a lot this past year, but you truly are. Were you just hoping that I wouldn’t notice something like this? Sure I overlooked it at first but damn, you look awful. Maybe I’m the dumbass for not noticing. No, no, you’re right. Now is not the time.” 

When Klaus’s rant was over he saw his father had a tired smile and Fury was staring at him curiously. “Sorry, kid. I was going to wait for you to either notice or I get something figured out.” 

“You truly are a dumbass. Lab, now. Figure something out. I’ll be down in a moment to help you out,” Klaus ordered. Tony sighed but did as he was told. “Now, spit out why you are really here. We both know you don’t actually care if he dies and orphans us.” 

“I wanted to recruit him for a new project that we are working on. It’s highly classified and will be dealt with shortly.” 

“Sure, sure. I can always have Jarvis tell me everything that went on. If I find out that you threatened him into joining it  _ will _ be the last thing you ever do.” 

Fury looked unbothered. “I do enjoy these little talks we have.” 

“Fuck off, Fury. Go bother your murder child.” Klaus shooed him away and waited for him to get in the elevator before he investigated. He found out that Tony didn’t agree or deny the request and wasn’t threatened. 

Klaus paused halfway down to the lab and listened to a ghost that came with news. He cursed and ran to the lab. Tony looked up when he burst through the doors and raised an eyebrow. “What happened?” 

“The asshole that attacked you at the race escaped. I just got word from a guard he killed on the way out. It was Hammer, I fucking know it was. That shithead just can’t accept the fact that you’re better than him. I’ll be back in a few days.” He grabbed his suit from the charging station and let it cover him. 

“Be safe. I’ll have Jarvis keep an eye on you.” Klaus nodded and flew out of the room. 

When he came back the news was reporting a mysterious explosion that took place at Hammer labs. They claimed no one was hurt but the escaped convict, Ivan Vanko was the supposed source of it. Justin Hammer was arrested for housing an abetting a criminal Ivan was arrested for obvious reasons. Funnily enough, whatever he was working on was completely destroyed. 

During that time, however, Tony was able to figure out how to cure himself. He found an old video that his father made and noticed something about the model he had. He had to go down to Pepper's office to get it and when he came back up he had Jarvis analyze it. He found out that his father discovered a new element. 

When Klaus walked into the lab there were tubes everywhere and Tony was working on creating it. It took a couple of tries but he finally got it. He converted the arc reactor in his chest and put the element in before he got to work on the reactor in his suit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the songs "Back in Black" and "Shoot to Thrill" started playing when I was writing the second page of their respective chapters and like- I have over a hundred songs on my playlists and those songs played at almost the same time for both chapters. Maybe Tony's ghost is trying to tell me something.


	7. 2012 (10 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Avengers events with changes and identity reveal.

Tony was first approached about the topic not long after he first came out. Nick Fury wanted him on his team of misfits to protect the planet. He was first approached by Fury around a year after he adopted the seven. He wanted Tony to raise them to their true potential, make them superheroes. Or weapons of mass destruction. Tony said no. 

Fury approached him about the initiative not long after he made his entire company run on arc reactor energy. He said Tony was needed and could be a great help if he worked for Shield. He said no again. Tony was later approached when Fury somehow discovered that his reactor was the very thing killing him. He didn’t give a definitive answer at that time. 

Around a year later Fury had Agent Coulson drop off a file for Tony. When Tony opened it it was everything on the Avengers Initiative. At that point, he didn’t have a choice. He looked through the files and made notes on things that could be improved, like Bruce Banner’s control, or Clint Barton’s hearing. When he was stuck he asked Klaus for help on what he should do. 

He spent a couple of weeks doing that before Klaus dragged him out of the tower. “You need to exercise more,” Klaus commented while they were in the elevator. Tony gasped and held a hand over his heart. 

They walked down the street and avoided as many people as possible. Klaus stopped when they came up to a rundown and Tony looked back at him curiously. “What’s up?” 

Klaus grinned and grabbed Tony’s wrist before dragging him inside the building. The inside of the building was dark and dusty with bits of light filtering in through the ceiling. “Dave, you in?” Klaus called. His voice echoing around the building caused Tony to jump slightly. 

A man around Klaus’s height came out from around a corner and smiled at them. “Spook, it’s you. I didn’t think you knew your way out of that tower you live in.” 

“Oh, hush. Dave, this is my dad, hopefully, you already know his name, Dad, this is Dave,” Klaus said, gesturing between the two. Tony smiled at Dave and offered his hand out to him. Dave grabbed his hand and shook it. 

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Dave said with a kind smile. 

“None of that sir business, it makes me feel old. Please, call me Tony.” 

“Okay, Tony.” 

“Ooh~ Davey, the building is looking great. I can’t wait until it’s finished,” Klaus said, bouncing slightly in his spot. “It’s going to be beautiful.” 

Dave nodded. “It will be. I can’t wait until I’m done with boot camp to finally work full time on it.” 

“What’s it going to be?” 

“I’m going to turn it into an art studio. I’m going to have canvasses set up around the room and anyone that has been working in here for more than two years will get a spot on the wall of their own,” Dave explained. “I was really interested in drawing and art as a kid and I was sad that there wasn’t any place I could go to that would help me learn. So I’m doing this for whoever wants to learn.” 

Klaus turned and grinned at Tony. “I told you he was amazing. He’s bringing this building back to life himself. He’s been working on it since his junior year in high school. I’m really proud because this building was on the verge of being torn down because the city said it was unsafe. So, Davey bought it and has been working on it since.” 

“Wow, that’s really cool, Dave,” Tony said. 

“Thank you, Tony. I really love the new modifications you did with your company recently. I think it’s nice that you did that to better help the environment.” 

Tony smiled and they talked for a couple more hours before Tony’s watch beeped, alerting him to a message from Fury. “I should probably be going, it was really nice to meet you.” Tony waved and started toward the door. 

“You too, Tony.” 

He ran all the way back to the tower and before even bothering to open the message. “Shit,” he yelled when he read it. He read it a couple more times just to make sure it was right. “Jar, can you call the family group chat? I need everyone for this.” 

“On it, sir.” 

The sound of the phone ringing reverberated all throughout the house. Tony ran down to the lab and grabbed the chargers for his kids’ suits. 

_ “Hello?” _

“Hey, who all is on? I’m talking through Jarvis. This is a code purple.” 

_ “Purple? Holy shit. Everyone picked up. What happened?”  _

“Long story. I need to fly to Germany as fast as possible. Fury has a helicarrier up in the sky right now. Everyone needs to get there immediately.” 

_ “Shit, that bad? Yeah, we’ll be there before the day is over. I take it you’ll have a tracker for us to find it?”  _   


“Yeah, I have your suits with me. If you need them just hit the homing buttons on your watches. That’ll give you my location and fly them to you.” 

_ “Okay, I take it Fury doesn’t know we’ll be coming?”  _

Tony snorted. “You’re the last people he probably wants to see, Luther. Are you all sure Klaus is on?” 

_ “Yeah, I’m here. Just had to explain to the whole superhero gig to Dave. Nothing too important, I’m afraid. Wait at the tower for me, I’ll be there in under five.”  _

“There he is. I take it he already knew about your powers?” 

_ “Yeah. Well, we were out and about terrorizing New York, you know typical Tuesday things. When all of a sudden a shit ton of screamers followed this one guy out of a building. So I just collapsed because it seemed like the best plan of action at the time. Dave helped me through it and I had to explain everything to him because I felt bad putting him through all of that,”  _ Klaus explained. 

“Are you completely sure you don’t need a therapist? Because I can hire one and pay them off to keep your identity a secret.” Tony walked up from the lab and let the nanotech was over him. 

_ “No, I’ll be fine. I have Dave. He’s like an adorable emotional support dog- ow.”  _

Everyone chuckled as they listened to what they assumed was Dave hitting Klaus. 

_ “Alright, dad. We’ll be there later. Love you and stay safe.”  _

“Love you all too.” He hung up the phone and walked up to the balcony to get ready for take-off. “Jarvis, can you scan the sky for anything over a hundred feet and with an active cloaking device?” 

“Certainly, sir.” Tony heard footsteps behind him and when he turned he saw Klaus. “I have located something that fits that description. Sending you the coordinates now.” 

“Send them to the kids’ watches and keep them updated, please. Jar, can you message Fury and tell him that I am on my way and should be there in the next three hours.” 

“Do you want me to inform him of the Academy joining them?” 

“Don’t bother. I want him to be just as shocked as everyone else.” Tony handed Klaus his suit charger. Klaus wrapped the band around his wrist and double-tapped the reactor. Tony watched in satisfaction as the suit covered him. 

“It is done. Will you be home tonight for dinner with Ms. Potts?” 

Tony thought for a moment. “Can you tell her that I’ll make it up to her when I get back? I don’t know what time Fury will let us leave.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to tell her that you’ll make up twelve percent of it to her?” 

“Jar, you are this close to being deactivated and switched out for a younger model,” Tony threatened as he and Klaus took off. 

“Y’know J, dad seems to threaten all of his kids like that. Remember Dum-E was supposed to get sent to Goodwill I think. He just spews hot air, maybe that’s why he flies so well,” Klaus mused. Tony glared at him through the emotionless faceplate. 

“It does seem that way, Ghost boy.” 

They continued their banter the whole way there. When they were five minutes from Captain America’s location Tony hacked the PA system in the jet. 

“Agent Romanoff, ya miss me?” Jarvis played the song  _ Shoot to Thrill _ after that causing Klaus to smirk. Tony blasted Loki into the steps and landed with all of his weapons aimed at him. Klaus landed behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. Loki’s illusion fell and held up both hands in surrender. 

“This was too easy,” Klaus muttered to himself. Loki was handcuffed and led to the jet that Romanoff was in. “Ms. Romanoff, it is lovely to see you again.” Klaus bowed mockingly as the suit receded back into his reactor. 

“What are you doing here, Stark junior?” She crossed her arms and looked at him appraisingly. 

“I am here to protect the people from the maniac behind us. I’m also here to make sure that dad doesn’t get in any fights.” Klaus shot a look at his father a look. 

“I don’t get in fights,” Tony pouted. 

“Not even an hour ago you were arguing with Jarvis because he said you weren’t the best,” Klaus spoke. He rose and eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. 

“Irrelevant. Agent Romanoff, how is Fury these days?” 

“I can tell you one thing, he sure doesn’t miss you,” she retorted. After she sat back down in the copilot’s seat they headed back in the direction of the helicarrier. “I didn’t know your kid had a suit.” 

“There are a lot of things you don’t know, Miss Romanoff.” 

“But, there are more things that I do know, Anthony Edward Stark.” 

“That is true.” 

Lightning lit up the sky. Klaus jumped when the thunder boomed and got a concerned look. He looked behind himself and noticed that Loki looked terrified. “Afraid of a little lightning?” Captain taunted. 

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki scowled. A moment later something big hit the top of the jet. Tony walked back to the hatch and opened it. Before he could step out to investigate something shot into the plane and knocked him down. 

“Ouch,” Klaus winced. A tall blond man stood in the doorway. He took a second to assess the area before grabbing Loki by the throat, holding his hand out for his hammer to fly into, and flying out of the plane. Klaus groaned and helped his dad up. Both of them flew out after the blond and Klaus was vaguely aware of Cap following. 

Tony tackled the blond off the cliff they were standing on while Klaus stayed behind with a repulsor aimed at Loki’s head. “This is going to be boring. Do you want to just do the stereotypical villain monologue and tell me your whole plan?” Klaus joked. 

Loki smirked but didn’t reply. Down on the ground, Tony and the blond man were bantering with each other. The man snapped and shot a lightning bolt at Tony and the suit charged up to four hundred percent. Tony nodded and shot a full-powered blast at the man. He recovered and threw his hammer to knock Tony down again. Cap landed down beside them and stopped their fighting. 

“Put the hammer down,” he ordered. The man didn’t seem to like it very much because he snarled. 

“I’ll put my hammer down.” The echo from the hammer hitting the shield leveled the entire forest. 

“Great, I come out for a good time and they destroy an entire forest,” Klaus mutters. “This is what I’m dealing with, man. The smartest man in the world my ass. This asshole is fighting gods in a tin suit.” 

_ “I can hear you,” _ Tony snapped through the comms. 

“That’s the point. I want you to know how much of a dumbass you are,” Klaus yelled into the suit. He spun away from Loki before muttering, “said with love.” 

_ “Fair, but not the time, Klaus. Grab the Assguardian and go to the location Jar sends you. I’ll meet you there,” Tony signed off.  _

“Welp, c’mon I guess,” Klaus spoke with a sigh. He turned to face Loki and grabbed his arm before flying off to the given location. “Dad, have I ever mentioned how much I hate flying with another person? Because I really hate flying with another person. You were a hundred feet below me, why couldn’t you come up and grab him?” 

_ “Because I thought you were an adult. Apparently I was wrong,”  _ Tony snarked. 

“Yep, I’ve only aged to sixteen so I know all of the important things like how to get rid of ghosts and to suck-” 

_ “Klaus,”  _ Tony groaned.  _ “This is why you won’t be allowed on the main comms.”  _

“Excuse me for being fun. Anyways, how’s the captain? And the other guy, I guess.” 

“His name’s Thor,” Loki supplied. 

“Oh, goodie. I can finally quit calling him ‘that hunky blond dude.’ Loki says his name is Thor. Hey, do you have a pill I can take? I really need one if I’m gonna be hanging out with Miss Romanoff.” 

_ “Yeah, I got a couple. They’re good I think. The captain might be a little shaken but he’s almost as good at hiding it as you are. I’ll be landing in five, how far out are you?”  _

“I’ll be there in six. I’m right behind you. Do you ever wonder if the ones that choose to stay ghosts can cross over at some point? Like, do they ever find peace? I can’t imagine God being that cruel and not letting them. But then again, some people live cruel and unfair lives only to be screwed over even more in the future so I wouldn’t put it passed him. What do you think?” 

_ “I think you should just ask them yourself instead of speculating about it. Now, focus on flying.”  _

“I am focussing,” Klaus whined. In that very same moment, his grip on the god decided to loosen cousin him to almost fall to his death. Klaus caught him with his telekineses before he even got four feet below him and started to mutter. 

Klaus could hear Tony laughing over the comms but decided that he would rather not argue at the moment. “You mewling quim,” Loki shouted. 

“Can it Rock of Ages. The only thing keeping you from falling to your death is my concentration. Hey, dad, do you think Ben will be free when we get back? I want to test a new nail polish on him.” 

_ “I don’t know, Klaus. Fury said it was a level seven earlier but he seemed more than willing to get caught.”  _

“That’s because he was. He’s planning on using us against each other,” Klaus said as convincingly as possible. 

“How did you know, puny mortal?”

“He just confirmed it, I bet it’s the Hulk. God, villains are so cliche these days. I want a villain that messes up so hilariously bad that the good guys win only to be bested by the villain when they least expect it. Not trying to turn everyone against each other. Why can’t we get someone that kidnaps the wrong person and gets all the wrong information?” 

_ “Klausy-boo, be a dear and shut the hell up.”  _

“But, Dad, I’m serious. Like, villains these days are just boring. I want another Justin Hammer or even better Obadiah Stane.” 

_ “What do you mean Obadiah Stane?”  _

“Oh shit.” Klaus’s eyes widened comically. “I forgot I didn’t tell you about him. You know how he died mysteriously? Ja, that was me. I killed him. He paid those people to kidnap and kill you. But luckily, they decided they would torture you instead. He was also trying to recreate the Iron man suit. It wasn’t going very well. I heard the ghosts whispering about him creating a paralyzing device and he was going to use it on you and steal your reactor or something. So, yeah. He’s dead, yay.” 

The line was silent until Klaus landed. When his boots touched the landing pad on the helicarrier Tony ran forward and wrapped him in a hug. Loki was drug off somewhere else so Klaus wrapped his arms around his father. “Thank you,” Tony whispered into Klaus’s shoulder. 

Klaus chuckled slightly. “Nothin’ to thank me for. Anyone would have done it for you.” 

“Stark!” Fury yelled across the deck. Klaus giggled and pulled away from his dad. “Why do you have five Stark juniors here?” 

Tony turned around with a flourish and held his arms out like he was showing something off. “You know how you always wanted to meet the Umbrella Academy? Congrats, your life has been fulfilled and you can now die a happy man. Where are my children?” 

“Stark, you have got to be kidding me. This is the Umbrella Academy? They are the most disrespectful team of douches I have ever met.” 

“Actually Director,” Klaus cut in. He let his suit fold back into the reactor and was overjoyed at the look of horror on Fury’s face. “We respect people that respect us. You have never shown us an ounce of respect so why should we do the same? I’m just saying you might want to rethink your whole ‘children don’t understand anything’ rule. We understood everything. Now, entschuldigen sie. I have a brother to go terrorize into letting me paint his nails.” 

He went to walk past Fury but he put a hand on his chest to stop him. “I don’t want you to torment the people doing their jobs. You will be staying close to Stark at all times.” 

“Will I though? Move your hand before I move it for you.” 

Fury scowled and didn’t move. Klaus glared down at the hand and heard the faint sound of bones breaking. Fury’s hand was pushed away from Klaus’s chest with his telekineses and crushed. “Motherfucker,” Fury yelled. He wrenched his hand away and cradled it to his chest. 

“I’ll see you all in half an hour,” Klaus called in a sing-song voice as he skipped away as if nothing happened. He kicked off his shoes in an empty room and slid onto the bridge. “My hoes, welcome,” he yelled when he saw his siblings. 

“Klaus, where are your shoes?” Allison asked while trying to stifle a laugh. 

“Would you believe me if I told you a rabid dog ate them? Yeah, it was terrible. I was walking away from dad when this big dog that just so happened to be missing an eye jumped out in front of me. It growled so I growled back but it just wouldn’t leave me alone. So, I threw my shoes at it to get it to go away. It seemed to get the hint after I maimed it a bit.” Klaus sat down roughly in a rolling chair and giggled when he rolled three feet away from the group. 

“Fury?” Diego asked with a knowing smile. 

“I’m sure he will be pleased to hear you referring to him as a rabid dog,” Agent Romanoff said. 

“My lady, what a glorious day to be here. I must say that you look stunning, as always. I really need to figure out who does your hair. Would you mind sharing your secret? Girl to girl?” Klaus begged. Romanoff chuckled slightly but hid it pretty well. 

“Are you a girl?” She asked, genuine curiosity filling her tone. 

Klaus spun his chair in a circle before looking back at her. “Who knows at this point. I could have J do some sciencey stuff to figure it out but I would rather not have all my hopes and dreams crushed. Allison, Vanya, both of you look as ravishing as ever. Luther, you still look like a pain in the ass, no offense. Ben, starred in any good tentacle porn recently? How’s life in the S&M club going, Di?” 

Romanoff quirked a smile at Klaus’s antics while almost everyone else looked concerned. 

“I haven’t starred in any porn Klaus. Where the hell do you come up with these things?” Ben asked. 

“Well, I’ll be scrolling online late at night and a ghost will whisper in my ear. It’ll take me a moment to remember that I am haunted and it isn’t a rapist that climbed up to my room. Sometimes those things happen, y’know? Anyway, they always get much quieter when I try to sleep because unlike some-” Klaus put extra emphasis on the word and gave Diego a pointed look- “they actually care about a decent sleep schedule. Even though I don’t have one of those.” 

“You really need help,” Luther oh so helpfully pointed out. 

“This guy, can you believe him?” Klaus looked to his left and gestured at Luther with his thumb. He stood for a moment before bursting out in laughter. “That is true, Eddy boy.” Romanoff raised an eyebrow at him and only got shrugs from the others as a reply. She seemed satisfied with this and began to walk away. “Before you go, Loki plans on turning us all against each other and possibly releasing the Hulk to destroy the ship.” 

Romanoff nodded briefly and walked away. Vanya took a chair beside Klaus and poked him. She continued to poke him until he hissed at her and grabbed her finger. “Have you talked to Captain America yet?” 

“Nope, but I really don’t want to do much talking with him. I would rather-” 

“Klaus,” Tony yelled, walking into the room. “What have I told you about hitting on people?” 

“What have I told you in response to that?” Klaus shot back. “Y’know, Thor is a God that I wouldn’t mind being on my knees every night for,” Klaus mused. Thor walked into the room right as he said that and stared at their group in confusion. 

“You have no shame do you?” Tony asked. 

“I did, but I can’t seem to find it now. I think it ran away with my dignity and gender and just never came back. I think they all got hitched though so that’s a good sign,” Klaus mused. The others walked into the room and took seats around the table. “Ah, there’s the rest of Fury’s little boyband. I must say, Captain, huge fan of the outfit but it does nothing for your ass. Doctor Banner, I would say that I love your work but I didn’t understand any of it and I try not to lie to the best of my ability. But, I will say that it’s pretty cool that you can turn into the giant green man to protect yourself. Kinda like the Jolly Green Giant, but less jolly and more musclely.” 

“Klaus, be a doll and shut up,” Tony said. Klaus grinned but compiled. “So, none of you know why they are here I assume. These are my kids better known as the Umbrella Academy,” Tony announced. 

Klaus grinned when all the attention in the room was turned to them. He stood with a flourish and walked to face everyone. “The Seance at your service. Been seeing ghosts since ‘89 and learning to control them since recently.” He bowed before walking back to his chair. 

“Please tell me I don’t have to do that,” Ben whispered to Tony. Tony shook his head with a small smile. “I’m the Horror. Been dealing with the eldritch assholes since I was one and a half.” 

Allison moved to be seen better and gave a small curtsey. “I am the Rumor, able to bend anyone’s will to be mine.” She took a seat on the other side of Klaus. 

Vanya stood up next. “I’m the White Violin. Able to manipulate sound waves and destroy anything at will.” Vanya spun which led into a bow. She smirked at Diego before sitting back down. 

Diego walked up to the front and threw a knife. It landed right in between Klaus’s legs causing him to yelp. “I am the Kraken, able to hold my breath for as long as I want and can throw and curve any object to make it land where I’m aiming,” Diego smirked before sitting beside Vanya and fist-bumping her. 

“I’m Spaceboy, god I hate that name, and have super strength and endurance,” Luthor spoke. He leaned on the back of Klaus’s chair and scared him. 

“I hate you all. This is bullying,” Klaus complained. Tony stared at him for a solid minute before deciding to not respond. 

“The Umbrella Academy, everybody. Don’t bother tweeting this because I will have your phone hard drives encrypted and destroyed before you can say ‘shit,’” Tony announced with a smirk. 

A screen showed up on the table and showed footage from Loki’s cell. They watched for a moment before it disappeared. “Loki’s gonna drag this out. So, Thor what’s his play?” Cap called out. 

“He has an army, called the Chitauri. They’re not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people, they will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect for the tesseract,” Thor answered. 

“He also plans on turning everyone against each other,” Klaus called as he spun in his chair again. 

“How do you know?” 

“J can you play the feed from my suit? It was when I was carrying Loki after I dropped him but before my rant about cliche villains.” Klaus got a lot of disapproving looks but chose to ignore them. 

“Certainly, Ghost boy.” Klaus set up his phone on the table and the video projected out from the camera. They watched the video in silence and waited for the deciding comment. When they hear it everyone freezes. 

“See? Told ya.” Klaus spun again but was stopped by Fury. Fury glared at him only getting a laugh in response. “Hunny, if you want to scare me you have to be scarier than the man behind you. He’s missing his face, brain falling out of his skull, and his internal organs are in his hands. You look great, buddy, keep it up and one day you may get a spot on the cover of Vogue. He just gave me a thumbs up, I can see the fucking bone through the side of his thumb. Fury what the hell did you do to that poor man?” 

Klaus shivered and gagged while everyone in the room looked more than slightly horrified. “I didn’t do anything.” 

“Oh really? Then I could just ask him. Oh, wait, no I can’t because his fucking throat is slashed. What the actual fuck happened to him? Did he get tossed into a blender? A meat grinder? Christ on a cracker was it a wood chipper?” Klaus shouted out. He pushed himself out of his chair and onto the table. “Shit, shit, shit. There are more of them. Holy fuck. Fuck me. Does anyone have a horse tranquilizer? I really want to be knocked the fuck out right now.” 

He continued to rant for a few more minutes. Vanya ran her nails over his back in a circular motion. When Klaus finally calmed down he looked close to tears. Vanya pulled him down onto her lap and let him bury himself into her neck. “Klaus and I will be back later. Fill me in when the meeting is done.” She stood up and carried Klaus like he weighed nothing. 

“Man of Iron, will he be okay?” Thor asked when they left the room. Tony watched helplessly. 

“I don’t know but I need to change the formula so that he can’t see people like that.” He pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil from nowhere and started to furiously write something down. “Continue, I’m listening,” he said absentmindedly. 

“First off, we should talk about whoever Klaus saw.” Ever the man of diligence the captain was. “Fury, what happened to someone that would make Klaus lose his mind like that?” 

Fury sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know. Back in my earlier days, I have made some questionable calls. He might’ve been an agent that I lost when Loki blew up the base or he might be someone from way back. Hell, I don’t even know if I got him killed.” 

Ben nodded. “The only time Klaus has ever reacted like that was when he saw a victim of the Horror. They rip anyone into shreds without a second thought. All I have to do is tell them to kill and not a single person within a twelve-foot distance is safe,” he explained. Tony nodded along even though he was still writing. 

“They do make excellent maids though,” he commented. “I once told Ben to clean up his room and within minutes everything was away.” 

“And they live inside you?” Bruce asked warily. 

“No, my chest is a portal to another dimension where these creatures are trying to escape from.”

“You just continue on like that? Killing without a second thought?” 

Tony’s head snapped up. “I don’t know about you, Captain, but any person that has ever died because of me weighs on my conscience every single day. So no he doesn’t just kill without a second thought. I taught my children to behave like regular humans even though they are far from it. They know they are special but they also know that their humanity is what makes them heroes. The only time they had  _ ever _ killed is whenever it is another life in danger. Like the time I was kidnapped in Afganistan. So think about this, all the people you have ever killed or will ever kill; did they deserve it? 

“A life for a life? Was killing them the only way to save someone else? Think about this,  _ Captain _ , was death the only way for them to go on? Was it self defense? Were you saving another person from even further harm?” 

Tony stared down Captain America and relished in the way he sunk down in his chair. The bridge was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Not even the people at their stations could be heard typing. 

Fury cleared his throat awkwardly and Tony went back to writing on his paper. “Thank you for that, Stark.” 

“Welcome,” Tony muttered, eyes solely fixed on his notepad. 

Ben was faintly smirking when he asked if they had any more questions. 

“I have a question. How were you able to tame the creatures inside you?” Banner asked. 

Ben smiled at him kindly. “I’ll show you later. They really enjoy the sound of Vanya playing her violin though.” Banner nodded and looked over Tony’s shoulder. 

“That variable is off by three percent,” he commented. Tony nodded and erased the number and rewrote the equation before he solved it again with a different variable and muttered a quick thanks. 

“I wonder, could Allison just rumor someone to have all the answers? Shouldn’t she just be able to say ‘I heard a rumor that you knew the answer to Klaus’s ghost problem,’ and be done with it?” 

Tony scrutinized Diego for a moment. “I don’t think so. I believe it only works if she knows the answer or wants them to do something. Right now she would be able to get Romanoff to shoot Fury or get Luther to fight Cap but I don’t think she would be able to get me to solve this. We should try it in training though,” Tony said. He muttered something under his breath before going back to his paper. 

“I believe the Man of Iron is correct,” Thor spoke. “My brother has illusion magic that only works if he knows what he wants the other person to see. He is able to duplicate himself with that magic and do many more things. But he is only capable of doing it if he knows exactly what he wants the other person or people to see.” 

“Thanks for telling us about his magic, Pointbreak. Jar, set up an alarm so that if the cell is opened or even made to look like it has been opened we get notified. And that is incredibly accurate with Allison’s ability,” Tony said, with an encouraging smile. It lasted but a moment before he went back to working on fixing his son’s pills. 

“Why does Loki need all of these materials?” 

“He’s building a portal, I thought that much was obvious. Iridium is a stabilizing agent so the portal can be open as wide and as long as he needs it to be. The only major thing he still needs is a power source.” 

“Does he need any particular kind of power source?” Allison asked. 

“Well, that’s a tough one. The cube would have to be heated to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the cooling barrier. Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect,” Tony answered. 

“If he could do that he could achieve heavy-ion fusion at any reactor on the planet,” Banner said with a frown. 

“Yep, and that is a problem. We’ll need to find the cube before Loki’s plan unfolds and the civilians get caught in the crosshairs. Doctor, want to go play?” Tony stood from his chair and pocketed his notepad. He walked to the doorway and did a mock bow and gestured Banner through. 

“And we won’t see them until they are finally done geeking out,” Allison said, watching them leave with a smile. “I wonder, do you think Pepper should be jealous?” 

“No, of course not,” Diego said. “She already knows that she is higher up on Tony’s chart. Well, twelve percent higher.” 

The siblings shared a laugh much to everyone else’s confusion. “Inside joke,” Luther vaguely explained. “Oh, we haven’t called Mom yet. She doesn’t know we’re all in the state. I’ll be back.” 

Luther left the room with Diego in tow, leaving only Allison and Ben. “Look at that, they abandoned us. This is why I have issues,” Ben joked. Allison nodded in faux seriousness before bursting out in laughter. 

“Sorry, Ben, but the look on your face. Maybe you should have become an actor.” 

Ben shook his head and lead his chair back. “Nope, I’m doing just fine at MIT. Before you ask, no you can’t steal my hoodie because the creatures love it and they’ll notice.” 

Allison’s face fell into a pout. “Damn, could you get an extra one just for me?” 

Ben laughed. “Yeah sure. But it probably won’t be for a while because of this whole Loki business. Think dad would let me keep a trinket? Maybe the scepter, that would look great on my wall.” 

“You are not getting the scepter,” Fury snapped. Ben looked over and noticed he seemed to have anger issues. 

“Why not, Nikky?” 

“It is now government property.” 

Ben looked around at the helicarrier. “Cool, so anything that enters this thing automatically becomes property of the government. I’m out.” He stood up and started to walk away but stopped as soon as he heard the protests. “Now that I have your attention,” he turned with his hands folded and stared them all down. “My family and I will not be used for testing. We will not be used for shits and giggles. We are here to protect the civilians and that’s it. Don’t try to think that we won’t notice if you try to manipulate us, trust me. Our identities may not be released to the world because you think you can do what you want. 

“We still have lives to live. Do not go and tell anyone that you even know who we are because that will end badly for everyone. If I find out, and I will, then you will die a slow and painful death. I will not enjoy it, but it will need to be done to protect anyone we have ever interacted with. Do I make myself clear? You all may be running this show but I’m calling the shots.” He waited for everyone to nod before he gestured to Allison to follow him. 

“Holy shit, who knew you could be so scary,” Allison commented when they walked far enough away. 

“Anything for my baby siblings. Also, I needed to make sure that we would be taken seriously even though we aren’t as old as all of them. I know Fury still thinks we are kids, which is bullshit, but whatever.” 

“Hey,” Allison shoved him playfully. “Don’t worry about him, he’s just an asshole. Besides, the only person we need to trust us is Dad. He might be biased but if he didn’t think we could do it then we wouldn’t be here.” 

“True, although I feel like if he had any choice then we wouldn’t be here,” Ben pointed out. Allison nodded her acknowledgment but otherwise stayed silent. They continued walking until they came to a room with an open door. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was the room Vanya took Klaus into. 

They walked in quietly and noticed Klaus curled into a tight ball in the middle of the bed. Vanya was playing her violin softly so they bother took a seat at her feet and listened to her play. They sat there for who knows how long until Diego and Luther walked in. They joined the other two on the floor and let the beautiful sound of Vanya playing wash over them. 

They must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing they knew the ship was careening to the side. They jumped up and double-tapped their watches to call their suits to them. When they were fully suited up they ran out of the room. Vanya stayed behind to keep an eye on Klaus. “Call me if we’re needed,” she said as they ran out. 

When they finally got there it was chaos. The mind-controlled agents had taken out one of the engines and the Academy was willing to bet their entire inheritance that they were going to take out another. “Dad,” Luther called into the comms. 

_ “I’m here. Luther, Hulk is throwing a fit and Romanoff is in danger. Think you could help her out?”  _

“On it Dad.” Luther ran down the hallway and followed the sound of yelling. 

“Ben, Diego, and I will go protect the other engines from being taken out,” Allison said. They all nodded to each other and ran in separate directions. 

_ “What about Vanya and Klaus?’ _

“Klaus is sleeping peacefully and Vanya is making sure he stays that way. Both are on call if we need them they will be the last resort,” Diego spoke. 

_ “Okay good. I don’t think Klaus has been able to sleep well recently,”  _ Tony commented as he worked to get the thruster back online.  _ “Jar, decrypt all files on Shield. I want to know what they’re up to.”  _

_ “Right away, sir.”  _

Allison groaned. “You really need to learn to trust people. Not everyone is trying to kill you or undermine what you’re trying to do.” 

_ “It appears they are currently working on a project called ‘Phase 2.’ It looks like they plan on using the cube for weapons of mass destruction,”  _ Jarvis spoke. 

“Never-fucking-mind,” Allison muttered. She heard the sound of the others on the comm line laughing. When she got to engine one she heard the sound of people walking. She stopped before she walked into the room and pressed herself flat against that wall to get an idea of how many were in the room. 

“I heard a rumor,”  Allison said to the closest guy. He turned to her and glared.  “I heard a rumor that you shot your friend in the leg.” 

The guy’s eyes glazed over and he turned to face his companion. Allison’s suit muffled the sound of the shot and she continued to rumor the guys to incapacitate each other. When they were all down she had Jarvis scan them to make sure none of their injuries were fatal. She checked the levels and power sources to make sure everything was in order. 

“They were going to take out engine one and send us into a full-tilt and send us down to the ground,” she reported. 

_ “Okay, and casualties?”  _

“None. Everyone is healthy and only slightly maimed.” 

_ “Good, Romanoff is fighting Agent Barton on the lower levels but she is kicking his ass,”  _ Tony replied.  _ “Diego, Ben, report.”  _

_ “No casualties, but they might need prosthetics,” Ben said uneasily. Allison winced. “I wrapped them up and the med team should be on their way soon.”  _

_ “Good, Diego?”  _

_ “Just some holes that’ll take forever to heal, but they’ll be fine. Everyone is still breathing, I’m gonna need a med team to come get them soon, though.”  _

_ “Okay. Allison, Cap needs some help over here,” Tony called.  _

“On it.” 

Allison ran from her engine room and over to engine one. When she got there she saw people shooting at Cap, who was hanging on by a wire. She rumored two of the guys to sleep and knocked out the third. When she turned around she saw the captain pulling himself up and over the edge. 

“Captain,” she nodded. 

“Ms. Stark,” he nodded back. 

_ “Good, good. We all know each other now someone better pull the lever before I get dragged under these propellors.”  _

Allison laughed and walked over to the lever and pulled it. “You’re good, Dad.” 

_ “Thanks, honey-bee. What does everyone want for dinner tonight? I think Pepper was talking about making stromboli.”  _

“That sounds good. Will you also be adopting these people like abandoned puppies?” 

_ “Would I be Tony Stark if I didn’t? I’m already having Jarvis contact private contractors and will have the plans verified by next week. How does an entire training floor sound?”  _

“I think you should ask these people before you decide to renovate the entire tower. Although, I feel like Bruce would be more than willing to live in a stress-free environment. Loki’s still locked up, right?” 

_ “Yeah, he still is. Thor went down to fight the Hulk but when he saw that Luther had it, he went back up to Loki’s cell and is currently monitoring him.”  _

Allison glanced over at the captain. He seemed fine but she could see some underlying worry. “Alright, Dad. I’ll see you on the bridge in ten.” She shut off her comms and folded her helmet inside the suit. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. 

“Liar. I have four younger brothers and a father, I can tell when someone is lying. Like whenever Klaus stole my skirt and tried to blame it on Diego. Or, when he stole my makeup and blamed it on Five. Or, the time he stole Mom’s heals and try to say that he didn’t while he was wearing them.” 

Cap laughed and Allison took that as a win. “Klaus is quite the character.” Allison shot him a warning look to which he responded with a small chuckle. “Don’t worry, I don’t mean anything harmful by that. I’m not used to people having his type of confidence. And being able to express themselves as they please.” 

Allison relaxed, her overprotective older sister mode instantly shutting off. “Yeah, things are different now than they were in the forties. I would ask if you miss it but that’s a stupid question and probably one you have gotten too much since deicing.” 

Cap laughed a full laugh. “Yeah, that among other things. I’m still getting used to the technology boom that happened in the seventy years I was in the ice. It’s weird waking up after thinking I wasn’t and finding everything different.” 

“Yeah. I don’t know what you’re going through but I do know that there is no way it could be easy. Maybe we could have a movie night or something to help you get caught up,” Allison said elbowing him playfully. 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

They walked onto the bridge and saw everyone milling about. “Hey, bitches,” Klaus yelled from behind them. Allison moved out of the way just as he came sliding through. He wasn’t wearing any shoes. “Just so we’re clear, Fury is the only actual bitch. I can’t count how many times he broke into our house just to stalk my vater. He came in time and time again and harassed him. I was so close to siccing Not-so-Happy on him but that would just be a waste of his time. That one-eyed bulldog was this close to getting a restraining order against him.” 

Allison stifled a laugh as Klaus went through his rant. “That day was full of so many ups and downs that it almost went off a cliff at some point. Funny story actually,” Klaus said. He turned from where he was standing and flopped onto a rolling chair, causing it to roll back a couple of feet. “I was actually dangled off a cliff once by a ghost. She was really strong. Ten out of ten would simp again. It was just as I was discovering that I could make ghosts tangible and so I had no clue what I was able to do. I figured I could control her, turns out I can’t. But, she did set me back on my feet after I made her laugh when I said I was too beautiful and haven’t worn enough skirts in my life.” 

This time Allison didn’t bother to hide her laughter. Almost everyone on the bridge was laughing along with her. “Klaus, you’ve worn more skirts than I did,” Allison pointed out. 

“Ohmigod, are- are you judging me, сестра?” Klaus gasped and held a hand to his chest in horror. 

“Klaus, you are the biggest gay disaster that I have ever met and somehow I still love you. A little judgment should be allowed but lucky for you there is none,” Allison said. Klaus nodded and pointed. 

“Sister of the year award goes to the lovely, Allison Stark. Allison, if you could please step forward and accept your reward,” Klaus shouted. He held out his hands in a gesture like he was holding something. Allison bowed and grabbed the invisible award. 

“Thank you, thank you. I have been preparing for this my entire life. The only thing that could make this better is if my sister Vanya was also able to receive an award for all that she has done to keep us together. Vanya, if you would please step forward,” Allison spoke. 

Vanya walked forward and bowed to them all. She accepted the air trophy that Allison handed her before bowing again. They spent the rest of the day joking around and enjoying themselves. When it was finally time for the Starks to leave, they left with three (stray puppies) Avengers in tow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, everyone for the comments and kudos, it really means a lot to me to see how much people appreciate my work. :) 
> 
> Sorry if any words translate wrong I used google translate for help and everyone knows how helpful that is


	8. 2014 (12 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Soldier events and fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I haven't forgot about this story. Yes, I have been working on this chapter for the past few days and I'm not even sure I like it. BUT this one will not be rewritten no matter what my brain tries to tell me. Enjoy :)

Once the tower was renovated pretty much the entire team moved in. Some still had separate places to stay like Clint and Thor but everyone else lived there. Tony gave them each separate floors so that none of their schedules would interfere with each other. The siblings each went back to their respective jobs and schools and Klaus finally asked Dave out. 

They were almost two years strong when Klaus saw the news. Natasha and Steve were being shot at by a man with long brown hair and a mask to cover his face. Klaus turned the tv up so he could hear the newscaster better. 

_ “As you can see, Captain Rogers and Balck Widow are currently being targeted by an unknown assailant. We don’t know the full details yet, but this is live and we’ll keep everyone at home updated.”  _

Klaus groaned and snuggled further into Dave’s side. “This is the bullshit I live with. Just one day off, that’s all I ask. And suddenly New York is being shot up by a masked gunman with a vendetta against Cap.” Klaus paused and listened to someone beside him. “Christ on a cracker,  _ that’s _ Bucky? Are you sure you’re right, Howard?” He turned and faced away from Dave and listened intently. “Well, shit. That’s Cap’s bestie. Davey, do you think I should just leave this up to Widow or bring him in? Maybe he’s being brainwashed. He seems pretty intent on shooting and from what I’ve heard he kills without remorse.” 

Dave kissed Klaus on the side of his head. “You do what you need to, Spook.” Klaus sighed and stood up from the couch. 

“But I was comfortable,” he whined. “Fine. Go be my guy in the chair, I need someone to complain to.” Dave grinned and stood along with him. 

“Only if I get to hear your voice,” he commented. Klaus slapped his butt as he walked away. 

“I love you, Davey, but if you keep speaking like that then neither of us will be leaving this room and dad will have at least three hours worth of footage to delete.” Klaus double tapped his watch and let the suit flow over his body. 

“Skirt today, nice.” Dave grabbed the headset and put it on. “Hey, Jar-Jar, could you please project Ghost boy’s suit footage on the wall?” 

“Certainly, Dave,” Jarvis responded. Klaus dived out the window and waited until he was feet above the ground before he kicked on his thrusters. 

_ “Klaus, I’m gonna be honest, I hate when you do that. It nearly gives me a heart attack every damn time.”  _

“And that’s why I do it, Davey. I’ve never lived safely so why should I start now? Just because Iron man is my dad doesn’t mean I’m suddenly gonna care about personal safety.” 

_ “Klaus, I would appreciate it if you cared even a little bit.”  _

“Nope,” Klaus replied, popping the p. “Not gonna happen. It’s sweet that you think you can make me care about myself.” 

_ “Focus on what you’re trying to do, Spook. Apprehending the possibly brainwashed guy, remember?”  _

“Right, right. That. Well, I’m coming up to the overpass right now and it looks like the fighting is simmering down a bit. Ohp, nevermind. Romanoff has been hit. J, can you patch them into our comm line?” 

_ “Of course.”  _

“What a lovely day this is don’t ya think, Miss Romanoff? I mean everyone just needs a good shootout in the morning.” 

_ “It’s three in the afternoon,”  _ Steve commented blandly. 

“Bold of you to assume I didn’t just wake up,” Klaus shot back. He assessed the scene and noticed a limp. “He’s favoring his left.” 

_ “Really? I didn’t notice with the number of bullets being fired at us,”  _ Natasha commented dryly.  _ “Think you could get to the reason why you’re here kid?”  _

“Yeah, yeah. See this Davey, I come to save their asses and this is the thanks I get.” Klaus fired a shot in Bucky’s direction to draw his attention. Bucky’s head snapped up in an instant and Klaus was met with a glare so intense he felt it thirty feet up. “Damn, Cappy, what did you do to piss this guy off? Did you steal his firstborn? Murder his best friend? Oh my god, did you kick this poor man’s puppy?” 

Steve groaned causing them all to chuckle.  _ “No, I didn’t do any of that. He just attacked us out of nowhere.”  _

“Right, that’s why I can feel the hate from his glare up here.” Klaus extended his arm and fired out a small pellet. It hit Bucky’s wrists and wrapped around them, cuffing him in an instant. “Bring him in Widow. Cap, continue looking gorgeous. Take him down to the private sector in the tower, I don’t fully trust Shield after the last trick they tried to pull.” 

_ “Who died and made you captain?”  _

“Technically, Cap did. When he went into the ice I was promoted from Sergeant to Captain. It was a beautiful day. I remember pulling my amazing boyfriend Davey into a kiss when I got the announcement. Ah, the celebration that night was long and magical.” 

_ “Please keep your comments to yourself,” _ Cap muttered. 

_ “Aw, is the old man flustered? No wonder you can’t get a girlfriend.”  _

Klaus laughed and almost fell out of the sky. 

_ “Stay up in the air unless both feet are on the ground,” _ Dave demanded. 

“Okay, Davey. Just because I want to grow old with you I’ll obey your wishes, for now. Future Klaus may not be so compliant.” 

_ “Future Klaus is future Dave’s problem, right now I’m dealing with present Klaus and he is much more of a handful.”  _

“You know it,” Klaus replied lewdly. He could distinctly hear Natasha gagging dramatically. When he got back to the tower he flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “Rescuing Cap’s friend from the forties is a lot of work.”

“Spook,” Dave spun in his chair to face the man in question, “you didn’t do anything but cuff him.” 

“Hey, I also had to get his attention and keep the banter up. Do you know how scary it is when someone glares at you while they have at least twenty howling ghosts behind them? Mein Gott, that man is terrifying. Do you think Allison would be able to stop by to rumor him into telling us everything?” 

“Maybe,” Dave shrugged. The elevator opened and Natasha and Steve walked into the common room. 

“Hey, Dave. How are you today?” Steve walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a granola bar. 

“Pretty good. How ‘bout you, Cap?” 

“I’ve been better. It takes a lot out of you to run away from bullets and a deranged maniac,” he replied, taking a bite of his granola bar. “Oh, we have a new friend. He was there at the overpass.” There was a tapping on the window causing Klaus to jump. Steve smirked and opened the window to let their new friend in. “This is Sam.” 

Klaus sat up on the couch and studied the newcomer. “You know who I am,” Klaus said in a spot-on imitation of his dad. “That’s Dave, don’t try to steal him otherwise your body won’t be found.” 

Sam looked slightly horrified while Natasha laughed. “Don’t make threats if you can’t fulfill them.” 

“Don’t worry, Tasha, I can and I will go through with the threat if I have too.” 

Natasha smiled and nodded. “Should I be worried?” Sam asked with a glance toward Steve. 

“Only if you plan on stealing Dave from him,” Steve answered with a shrug. 

“Klausey-boo, are you threatening people again?” Tony asked, walking in with a small robot in tow. 

“Just making a point, Dad. Steve, have you checked out our guest yet?” Dave sat down on the sofa and Klaus laid his head on his lap. “I heard from the ghosts that he was important to you.” 

Steve scoffed but followed Natasha into the elevator. Sam and Tony were the only others left in the room. They shared an awkward glance before sitting on two opposite chairs. “So, Tony, did you ever figure out the personal robots?” 

“Oh. Yeah, I did. This little guy,” he pointed at the small robot with his foot, “is Marten, Small Robot not to be Underestimated.” 

“Will he be like Dum-E? Or is his code more advanced?” Dave asked while running his fingers through Klaus’s hair. 

“The code is more advanced but he can only do small things. He’s closer to the ones I made the kids when they were younger than he is anything I’ve made since.” 

“Spook, you never told me you had robots as a child.” 

Klaus looked up at him. “I didn’t get one because I always knew what I wanted. Ben and Luther had the most out of all of us. I do hope Marten is sturdier than the other ones.” 

“Those ones were made out of titanium and kevlar alloys Klaus,” Tony deadpanned. “Those robots were specially made to withstand an angry Luther and they still broke. I’m pretty sure anything made of regular metal alloys will work for regular people.”

“I didn’t know they were made with that. Huh, no wonder it didn’t break when I threw it down the elevator shaft. Don’t look at me like that, Luther blamed me for stealing the last pack of pop-tarts so Five threatened to throw me out the window. He totally would’ve too if Ben didn’t stop him. So I threw the robot down the elevator shaft to get back at him. It didn’t work and I ended up with an angry robot beeping at me for weeks.” 

“Klaus that is robot abuse,” Tony shrieked. “I can’t believe you would do such a thing to the poor innocent creature.” 

“Would you have rathered me throw Luther down the elevator shaft? That definitely would have stopped a lot of fights. Now that I think of it, I really should have just thrown him and kept the robot as a pet.” 

“Klaus,” Tony yelled. Klaus sat up and grinned lazily at him. “You can’t throw your brother down the elevator shaft.” 

“You’re right, he weighs too much. I wouldn’t even be able to get him a foot off the ground.” He laid back down and stared up at Dave. “Did I ever mention how pretty you are?” 

“Spook,” Dave chuckled. “Focus on what your dad is saying.” 

“But that’s boring Davey. I don’t want to listen to all the ‘can’t’ and ‘do not’. If I want to throw Luther down the elevator then I should be allowed to throw that asshole down,” Klaus pouted. Dave flicked Klaus’s forehead and watched in amusement as he scrunched his face up. “Fine, I won’t throw Luther, but I can’t promise anything for Diego.” 

“And I’m not in charge of Diego, Eudora is. She can make sure that he doesn’t kill Luther.” 

Klaus shrugged as best he could while laying across Dave’s lap. For what it’s worth, Sam looked as calm as can be while in the Avengers tower and talking to the Stark family. Well, some of them. 

“So, Sam.” Tony pivots his body to face Sam better. “What do you do for a living?” 

“Well, I was honorably discharged from the Airforce after my buddy was KIA and now I volunteer at the VA in DC,” Sam replied. Tony steepled his fingers and nodded. 

“So, what do you plan on doing now? Are you gonna go back to DC or find a place here?” 

“I was thinking about trying to find a place somewhere here in case Cap needs help.” 

“Well,” Tony started. Klaus could tell exactly where this was going just by his tone of voice. “If you want, there is always room here.” Klaus would have laughed, but he didn’t. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Sam responded. Tony scoffed and leaned back into his chair. 

“This tower has ninety-three floors each one dedicated to something else except the R&D department which has four floors to itself. The top ten floors have been dedicated to my private sectors. If you don’t feel comfortable having an entire floor to yourself then I’m sure Steve wouldn’t mind sharing his with you. Each personal floor is specially designed to fit the needs of whoever is staying there,” Tony explained. 

“As long as it won’t be a problem.” 

“Yay, now you’ve been dragged into the family so you can’t leave. You’ll upset the baby,” Klaus said with a playful look at his dad. 

“I’m the baby,” Tony said oh-so-helpfully. Klaus grinned and shared a look with Dave. 

“Sir,” Jarvis called. Tony’s attention snapped to the ceiling in an instant. “Captain Rogers is requesting your and Klaus’s assistance in the private room downstairs. He said that if Mr. Wilson and Mr. Katz would like to join they would be more than welcome too.” 

“On it, Jar. Wilson, Katz, c’mon.” Tony stood with the three men in tow. They boarded the elevator and headed straight down. When Tony was requested in the private room the elevator was locked off from anyone boarding that doesn’t have access or special permission. When the doors opened again they were in a section of the tower Dave had never seen before. 

It was completely modernized, some would say futuristic, and had lab tables set up at odd angles and what seemed to be random places. But Dave knew Tony, so he knew that this was all methodical so that whoever was working at a certain table they would have optimal conditions for what they were working on. “This place is so cool,” Dave muttered. 

Klaus grinned and intertwined their fingers. “Yeah, I helped him design based on a movie I saw a while ago. I don’t really remember the name of it, though.” 

“Captain, Jarvis said you called?” Tony clapped his hands and walked up to Steve. 

“Yeah, I want him to have the best help on the planet. Something happened to him and he isn’t fully there. I want to see him get better and be healed. Can you do that?” 

Tony scoffed. “Can I do that? Of course, I can do it. Give me time and I might even be able to have the princess of Wakanda helping us,” Tony replied haughtily. 

Cap nodded. “He’s James Barnes of the 107th. He has been through so much more than either of us can imagine.” 

Tony stiffened at the name. He glanced at Klaus for confirmation and got a shrug in response. “I won’t be happy about helping him but he deserves it because he is a human. This is the man that killed my parents, Cap. Once he has the help he needs I want a full interrogation.” 

“I can get you that,” Klaus said, drawing attention to himself. He noticed the way Steve’s shoulders relaxed at the subject change and steeled himself to bring it up later. “The ghosts see everything. They’re always there. I can talk to them and see if I can get information from them. With luck, one of his old army buddies latched onto his soul and will be more than willing to help.” 

“Klaus, I can’t ask you to do that,” Steve said, expression softening significantly. “We’ll get this figured out without you having to talk to ghosts that have all probably lost their mind or are more terrifying than any Sci-fi film can come up with.” 

“Look, it’ll be fine as long as I have Davey by my side to comfort me. I’ll take one of my pills to single out the ghosts that won’t be any help from the ones that will,” Klaus replied flippantly. 

“Here,” Tony handed Klaus the pill and watched as he swallowed it without a drink. “Don’t go in that room until the pill kicks in. That’s ten minutes, no less.” Tony looked pointedly at Klaus and waited for his nod before looking away. “Cap, stay frosty.” 

Steve attempted to slap him but Tony curved away before he could. Tony laughed and jogged away from the group. Steve watched Tony’s retreating form with trepidation. Klaus noticed and decided to draw attention away from Steve before anyone else could notice it too. “Cappy, do you think your murder buddy will try to kill me? I just want to know so I’ll have time to plan the funeral and whether or not Dave will be a widow.” 

Steve mouthed ‘murder buddy’ to Natasha with an incredulous look. “He shouldn’t be a threat but this isn’t the Bucky that I know.” 

Klaus shrugged. “Davey, has it been ten minutes yet?” 

“Nope, not even close.” 

Klaus groaned and sank to the floor. “Boring. J, can you tell me when ten minutes have passed?” 

“Sure thing, Ghost boy.” 

Klaus sat in silence for thirty seconds before he broke it. “I’m just gonna say if I die I want my powers to be passed on to Dave.” 

“‘If’ you said if. Do you mean if you die today or in general?” 

“In general,” Klaus replied softly. “I don’t plan on dying, ever. But, if he does manage to kill me, someone needs to drag my powers out of me and give them to Dave. Don’t actually put them inside him, because that is a hell I would never wish on my worst enemy. But, I would wish it on Howard, that bastard hadn’t shut up since day one. The first thing I remember is him yelling at me and ‘Stark men are made of iron.’ Which, is bullshit, I am clearly flesh and blood. He also yelled at me when I was three or four I think when I fell down the stairs at the Malibu mansion. He said that ‘Starks don’t cry’ and ‘I’ll never be a true Stark’ and other bullshit that I only half remember. 

“I kinda wish he passed on like Ana did. Y’know she was really pretty and I kinda miss her. She always told the best jokes, didn’t she Eddy? He said yeah. Oh, she also had amazing recipes. I think I wrote them all down, didn’t I?” Klaus turned to the left and listened to whoever was there. 

“We’ll have to try them sometime. Maybe set up a Disney karaoke night and test them all,” Steve suggested. Klaus’s attention drifted around the room and he stared vaguely over Natasha’s shoulder. 

“Ghost boy, ten minutes have passed. You are now cleared to enter the room,” Jarvis spoke. Klaus jumped, forcefully being shoved back into reality. 

“Kay-kay, be back soon,” he called happily. He jumped up from the floor and turned to face the reinforced door. When he walked inside he noted the way the room was trashed. Bucky was standing with his back against the wall and watching the door. “Oh, goodie,” Klaus muttered. Klaus started talking to himself without ever taking his eyes off of Bucky. 

Anytime he would shift, even slightly, Klaus would adjust himself into more of a defensive stance. Bucky was stripped of all weapons and given civilian clothes but he wasn’t wearing them. His hair was still greasy but it was pulled back into a bun. The blackness around his eyes was wiped away and he was squinting slightly at the lights. All of these factors didn’t make him any less intimidating. 

Klaus’s eyes snapped up to meet his and he scowled slightly. “Mission report,” Klaus said. 

Bucky’s stance stiffened and he stood up straighter. “The Asset was supposed to eliminate Captain America, AKA Steven Grant Rogers. Heavy ammunition was used with little to no backup. Captain Rogers was to be the Asset’s last mission. Mission was failed and the Asset is ready for any punishment deemed necessary,” Bucky responded. 

Klaus nodded. “Do you remember anything before you were assigned the mission to eliminate the captain?” 

“No.” 

“What about Miss Romanoff?” 

“She was not part of the mission. No harm would have come if she hadn’t interfered.” 

“Do you know who I am?” 

“No.” 

Klaus nodded. “Do you know who you are?” 

“The Asset, better known to the public as the Winter Soldier.” 

“Do you know what year it is?” 

“No.” 

“It’s 2014. Do you know what country you are in?” 

“America.” 

“Good. Do you know where you are?” 

“No.” 

“The Avengers tower in New York. No more harm will come to you while you are here. Your mission is hereby canceled. You were extracted because of your failed attempt, no punishment has been deemed necessary,” Klaus informed. Bucky nodded once so Klaus took his leave. When he was outside the room he was bombarded with questions. “One at a time.” 

“What happened to him?” 

“I was right. He was brainwashed by Hydra. Fyi they infiltrated Shield. Anyway, he doesn’t remember anything and his victims actually feel bad for him, which is saying a lot because he killed them. They say he was strapped into this weird metal chair anytime he failed or started to remember and they shocked him until he forgot. Then they cryo froze him until his next mission. Peirce is the one that sent him after you Cap."

Steve crossed his arms and leaned away from Klaus as if that would make anything he said change. "So they've been torturing him for years and using him as their personal weapon?"

"Yep-yep. Like I said, even his victims feel bad for him," Klaus responded. 

Steve looked distressed while Natasha only sighed. "How do we know they're telling the truth?" 

"Dead men tell no tales but their ghosts never lie. They don't have any reason to."

Natasha frowned. “We need to work on a plan to get rid of Pierce and any other Hydra agent.” 

“They’ll pay for what they did to Bucky,” Steve growled. Dave and Klaus raised their eyebrows in question but were both ignored. They shared a look with each other and saw Natasha with the same look on her face. 

“Down boy,” Klaus teased. Steve glared at him while the other two stifled their laughter. “Sorry, actually I shouldn’t lie. I’m not sorry. C’mon you big blond golden retriever, let’s go terrorize Shield.” Klaus ruffled Steve’s hair as he passed by and chuckled when the older man started to grumble under his breath. Klaus tapped a specific sequence into his watch that would connect to his siblings and alert them for emergency meetings. 

He led the group up to the conference room and had Jarvis connect them to all available Avengers. Tony walked in only a few minutes after followed by Bruce and Clint. Holographic screens popped up and one by one his siblings were entered into the meeting. Sam walked in not a moment later looking extremely confused. 

“Shield has been compromised,” Natasha announced. The Stark siblings, sans Klaus, all looked uncomfortable. Klaus propped his feet on the table only for them to be swatted down a moment later. “Hydra agents have infiltrated and sent a weapon to take out Steve.” 

“What was the weapon?” Vanya asked tentatively. 

“That, dear sister,” Klaus replied, pointing a finger at her screen, “is the three million dollar question. Everyone remembers James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th, correct? Well, he isn’t as dead as everyone thought he was. Turns out he was kidnapped from his frozen prison and turned into a weapon. Hydra has been using him for many missions over the years, including, drum roll please, the one that killed dear loving Howard and our amazing grandmother Maria.” 

The room fell into awkward silence while everyone digested the bomb that Klaus just dropped. “So you telling me,” Sam started, all eyes turned to him, “that Steve’s ex-military buddy has been forced into killing people against his will while Steve was trapped in the ice. And nobody knew about him?” 

Natasha stiffed slightly. “I knew about him. He trained me in the red room. Taught me my English and how to fight properly. He was the only teacher that I actually connected with.” 

Sam looked like he was going to ask a question but Tony discretely shook his head no. “Okay. So, we need to take out Hydra. We’ll need a plan. You guys,” Tony swiveled his chair to face the screens with his kids, “will be backup if we need it, but only in the most extreme cases. As for everyone else, you will follow my and Cap’s orders.” 

They spent the next few hours brainstorming. Bruce and Tony bantering while going over the science behind what will need to be done, with the occasional input from Ben. Natasha, Steve, Sam, Diego, and Luther going over the tactical parts. Vanya, Allison, Clint, Klaus, and Dave going over how they planned on infiltrating the headquarters. 

“Now, remember, Steve and Natasha will go in under the pretense of Steve needing to get his stealth suit from the lockers. Natasha will go to Fury’s office and plant a bug on his computer that will give Jarvis free access to the entire building. Jarvis will then plant a trojan horse and sweep all the files for anything. If he comes across anything confidential or locked he will send it to me and I’ll hack my way into it. 

“Once the bug is planted, Natasha and Steve and will have less than half an hour to get out of the building. Bruce will develop a dissolving solvent that Sam will plant on the helicarriers once the power is cut. Klaus will go in with him as cover while Legolas sets up and stakes the place out. Legolas is going to be our sniper, taking out anyone that gets too close to stopping us. The solvent will be put in this-” Tony pulls up a hologram of a small capsule that looks no bigger than an oreo. “It will detonate remotely and is to be placed on the repulsor engines. Taking out at least two per helicarrier will stop them from being able to take off. The third helicarrier is currently in the process of being built so just take out whatever engine is fully built. 

“I’ll also need someone to do recon for the blueprints of the engines. I’ll have Jarvis scan the systems to see if they’re online but they will no doubt have hard copies that will need to be found and destroyed.” 

They nodded and got to work on their part of the plan. Since the kids had returned back to their schools and jobs, Tony realized that he needed an easier way for them to be able to help out on missions without having to wait for them to fly all the way out. So, he added sentience to the suits that can be activated with three taps of their watches and a spoken code. They were only to be used in emergency situations but that didn’t stop them from the occasional prank or two. 

The plan was set into motion three weeks later. Everything went how it should have up until the solvent was supposed to be put on the helicarriers. They were spotted by Hydra agents and had to run for cover behind some crates. 

“Your wings are bulletproof right?” Klaus asked over the sound of gunfire. 

“Yeah, but I’m not,” Sam replied as he dodged a bullet aimed for his shoulder. 

“Damn. Alright, I’ll be back,” Klaus huffed and ran out from their cover. “Hey, assfucks, guns aren’t toys and shouldn’t be played with.” The firing stopped and all guns were pointed at Klaus. He counted seven visible agents and could feel the soul of three more hiding. “This will be fun.” 

The weapons on his suit all took aim. Klaus activated his heat-seeking bullets for the ones he couldn’t see. With the press of a button, all the agents were down on the twitching from the electricity coursing through their bodies. 

“Good job man,” Sam congratulated. “I thought you were going to kill them, not that.” Klaus’s head snapped to the left and he cursed when he looked over Sam’s shoulder. 

An agent he hadn’t notice walk in took aim at Sam and was milliseconds away from pulling the trigger. Klaus had just enough time to push Sam out of the way before the shot was fired. He felt a searing pain through his chest and noticed blood. 

“Huh, that wasn’t there before.” 

Sam could see the way Klaus’s eyes glazed over. He turned and shot the offender once in the head before attempting to stop the bleeding. It was a lost cause. Klaus’s pulse slowed to a stop and Sam could faintly hear the sound of screaming through the comms over the sound of blood roaring in his ears. He removed Klaus’s suit and attempted CPR. 

After five minutes he gave up. He lifted Klaus’s body and was vaguely aware of the sound of Steve and Natasha running toward him. Klaus’s body shuddered and he sat up with a gasp. Sam almost dropped him in shock. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and put pressure on the wound after setting Klaus down on the ground. 

“Christ on a cracker that hurt,” Klaus groaned. 

“Tony, he’s alive.” Steve sounded distinctly relieved when he spoke those words. His shoulders relaxed slightly like a huge weight was lifted off of him. 

_ “Is his suit on? I need to yell at him real quick,”  _ Tony snarled. 

“No, but he needs to see a medic, now. He’s losing a lot of blood, probably going to need a transfusion,” Natasha spoke with a hint of her relief showing through. 

_ “Everyone regroup at the tower. We need to debrief then I need to yell at my kid and give him a hug,” _ Tony said. He sounded calmer at least. 

When they got back, Klaus was immediately dragged off to the medical floor with a hoard of doctors fussing over him. Everyone else was dragged off to the conference room by an extremely pissy Tony. After the debrief, and Klaus was cleared from the medical ward, Tony pulled his kid aside to talk to him. 

“What the hell happened out there?” He had more than a hint of worry in his voice. 

“I think I died,” Klaus spoke, still clearly dazed. “I met God too. She didn’t seem to like me much because she sent me back.” 

Tony’s brows furrowed and he checked Klaus for a fever. “Are you sure you aren’t hallucinating from blood loss? The dying part happened, but are you sure you didn’t just imagine it all?” 

Klaus met his father’s eyes and Tony realized how terrified he was. “I don’t know, but if it all was just a hallucination that God has a fucked up sense of humor.” Klaus let out a humorless laugh that died halfway out. “I don’t think I can imagine shit like that. I may have a fucked up imagination but I really don’t think it would ever do that.” 

Tony pulled Klaus into a hug and held for a few moments. “Hey, if you really did meet God and she didn’t like you do you think that makes you immortal?” The joke fell flat but still got a small chuckle from the younger. “Don’t test that theory otherwise I’ll bring you back just to kill you myself,” Tony threatened halfheartedly. 

“Seems kinda counterproductive,” Klaus observed with a slightly amused grin. “Can we go watch Disney? I feel like Alladin, what do you think?” 

Tony nodded and they walked to the couch. He put the movie on and they cuddled up to each other while they watched. 

The next morning Tony had Javis scan the suits vitals from the mission and he came to the conclusion that Klaus really did die. “What does this mean?” He questioned out loud. He ran a hand through his hair before sighing. This was going to be a long year. 


	9. 2015 (13 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age of Ultron events but without Ultron because fuck that genocidal bitch.

They all went to Sokovia to take out Hydra bases. Well, almost all of them. Klaus stayed at the tower so he could sulk; Dave had to go back to boot camp for the next few months. Meaning they would only be able to Skype. 

He was listening in on the comms when he heard Clint swear loudly. Klaus pulled up the footage from the cameras that were installed in the weapons and suits to see what was wrong. What he saw made him wish he didn’t. There was a blur of whatever running passed Clint at speeds that should have been impossible. Klaus was barely able to make out the shape of a human. 

“Someone cover Clint, he’s getting his ass handed to him by the Road Runner,” Klaus called into the mic. 

_ “Klaus, thanks for telling them, but seriously?”  _

“Yep, Wile E. Coyote, don’t worry, if an anvil falls on your head I’ll be the first to know.” 

_ “I feel so much better, thanks.”  _

“No prob,” Klaus leaned back in his chair and studied the monitors. “Sam, on your left.” Sam’s camera swerved to the right followed by a string of muttered curses. 

_ “Was that necessary?”  _

Klaus grinned and didn’t bother answering. He checked his dad’s camera and noticed he put the suit in sentry mode. “Padre is there a reason you are in a highly dangerous place without so much as something to block a GSW on right now?” 

_ “Yes, I am investigating.”  _ That was followed by muttering and a quiet little “yay!” 

“At least have the suit follow you,” he groaned. Tony grunted but the camera followed him so Klaus took that as a win. His screen went down into a dark tunnel that led to a small chamber. The room was sparsely lit but the suit was able to act as a flashlight. “Widow, behind you.” 

Natasha took out a drone that Klaus noticed on Steve’s screen.  _ “Is there a reason you aren’t here with us right now?”  _

“Actually yes. I’m on sick leave.” 

_ “What are you sick with?” _ Steve sounded genuinely concerned and Klaus felt slightly guilty for his next comment. 

“Your bullshit, Cap.” Keyword: slightly. He saw the captain frown from Sam’s camera and grinned slightly. “Nah, I’m kidding. But I think Bucky is. He’s been out in the training room since you guys left. I think it’s because of the helicoptering.” 

_ “I don’t helicopter _ .” Steve sounded offended causing everyone to scoff. 

_ “Sure, Cap. That’s definitely what you call not letting him be alone since he was cleared,” _ Clint replied, voice laced with sarcasm. Klaus sipped on his drink and looked at the footage. On Tony’s screen, he noticed a blur moving in the background. 

“Vater, someone behind you. Think its Road Runner.” The camera swiveled around the small room and stopped when it got to two dark shapes standing just above Tony. The screen lit up and illuminated their faces. Two teenagers stood close together. One was female and had long brown hair and the other was male and had dyed silver hair. The girl had a red light flicker slightly in her hands. “Found Road Runner and Hermione Granger.” 

Tony turned just in time to see the teens before the boy raced off with both of them.  _ “Watch out, two metas one with super speed the other with an unknown power.”  _

“As I said, Hermione Granger. Pretty sure it’s magic. Widow, can you tell Thor that I’d get on my knees for him every night?” 

_ “Nope, not happening. Stark, didn’t you give him a comm?”  _

_ “Yeah, Jar says it’s on and working.”  _

_ “It is working just fine, Man of Iron. As for Starkson, there would be no need for you to get on your knees for me.”  _

“There is always a need to get on your knees for someone hot,” Klaus replied, sipping his drink obnoxiously loud near the mic. 

_ “Klaus, you have a boyfriend,”  _ Tony reminded none-to-kindly. 

“Yeah, I know. I’m not saying that I will, I’m saying that I would.” 

_ “There isn’t a difference,”  _ Clint pointed out. 

“The difference is Dave. Dave is the one thing keeping me going, that and the fact that God hates me. All of my goals in life have been fulfilled,” Klaus sighed wistfully. 

_ “You met God?”  _ Steve asked, confusion filling his tone. 

“Yep, she was an asshole. Said she didn’t like me for whatever reason and rode off.” 

_ “She?”  _ Natasha asked. 

“Yep.” 

_ “What did she look like?”  _ Thor asked. 

“She looked like she was twelve or thirteen completely in grayscale, and she rode on a bike. She also wore a big floppy hat and was really pissy with me.” Klaus sipped his drink again and focussed back on the screen. “Thor, on your right. Dad, civilians. Shit, Hulk is coming in hot.” 

Hulk smashed three armored cars and smashed them as flat as he could. He let out an ear-piercing roar before running forward at full speed toward the city. He stopped right before he could smash through it and threw Hydra agents at trees as hard as he could. The trees gave but the agents didn’t. One went through three trees before slamming into the fourth. He didn’t move. 

_ “Would my brother be able to come to Midgard for a few days? He is getting into trouble on Asgard and I believe he just needs a change in scenery,”  _ Thor asked as he hit another agent with his hammer. 

“I don’t mind.” 

_ “Yeah, well, good thing it isn’t up to you Klaus,”  _ Tony snapped into the line.  _ “He can come on as long as he promises to follow all of our rules.”  _

_ “I swear on Mjolnir that he will behave.”  _

“Good, good. Now someone find the teens because I can’t. They can probably kick all of your asses.” 

The Iron man camera moved again. Tony grabbed the scepter before stepping back into his suit.  _ “Got the scepter. Let’s get out of here.”  _

Clint wasn’t looking so good. He got blasted in the side with a Hydra weapon and needed to be helped by Thor and Natasha. “Tasha, could you help me with my hair later? I really like what you did with yours today.” 

_ “Sure Klaus,”  _ she chuckles slightly as she offers her hand to an injured Clint. 

_ “Ooh, can I help too?”  _ Clint sounded excited so Klaus decided it couldn’t go that wrong. 

_ “Alright, the base is cleared out and all civilians are safe. The teens are nowhere to be seen but they can be dealt with later.”  _ Captain America, ever the diplomat. 

"Aye aye, Captain."

Night fell and the team trudged into the tower. They each went their separate ways, some not even making it the whole way to their rooms. Tony flopped onto the large sectional in the common room and was out in a matter of minutes. The next morning they all met for the debrief. 

“I’m just saying, we can’t leave those kids out there to suffer whatever Hydra did to them,” Tony argues. 

“Yeah, but they are more than capable of taking care of themselves. We need to focus on the scepter,” Steve says. 

Klaus rolls his and props his feet up on the table. “Cap, they are children. Can’t be older than sixteen or seventeen. Look, Jar pull up the clip from Iron man’s suit.”

The footage is projected onto the only wall that wasn’t made out of glass. They watched with rapt attention. When it was over a collective sigh was heard around the large room. 

“What if we split off into two teams? We’ll need people to stay here and keep an eye on the scepter and some to go on search and rescue.” Tony pulled up two holo screens with a list of names. “Put a check beside your name if you will be going on search and rescue an x if you’re staying with the scepter.” The screens floated around the table and everyone either put a check or an x. 

“So, we have Nat, Clint, Klaus, and Sam searching for the kids. Tony, Bruce, Thor and I will stay and work with the scepter. Keep the comms on and contact us if you’re in danger,” Steve spoke. They nodded and went to their floors to get everything they needed for their missions. 

The four members of the team that were going on search and rescue met up in the quinjet hangar. “Alright, Klaus and Sam will be looking from the air. Clint and I will be searching from the ground and any high points we can find. They are to be treated as victims and as kindly as possible. They aren’t prisoners,” Natasha informed. 

“We know, Tasha. On the ride there, can you and Clint show me a new style for my hair? I feel like it’s just boring like this.” Klaus grabbed a strand of his hair and looked at it disdainfully. Clint laughed and ruffled Klaus’s already messy hair. 

“Sure, kid.” 

The plane ride was long and boring. The only good thing that came was Klaus learning how to french braid his own hair. When they got there they didn’t even have a clue where to start looking. Klaus eventually gave up with the argument and just asked the ghosts if they saw anyone matching the teens’ descriptions. 

“They went back to the ruins,” Klaus interrupted. He got a weird look from Sam but Natasha and Clint nodded like he just spoke the Word of God. Klaus levitated himself above the trees while Sam took off with his wings. Clint went up in the trees and Natasha stayed on the ground. 

When they got to the building Klaus sent a ghost ahead to scout out the place. He told the rest of the group the spirit’s findings. Then they headed in. 

The group made sure to make as much noise as they could when they first walked in. Klaus kept reporting what the ghosts were saying and they were able to advance farther into the building. They were around halfway through a lab when Klaus suddenly froze in his place. Clint shot him a questioning look and Natasha got into a defense position. 

Klaus slowly turned with his hands raised beside his head. The others followed his example and were met with the girl and boy standing side by side. “Hey,” Klaus spoke softly. “We aren’t going to hurt you, in fact, we came to save you.” 

“We don’t need saving,” the girl spoke. 

“And that’s okay, we just wanted to see if you wanted to come back with us and get checked out. We want to make sure both of you are okay,” Klaus spoke again. 

“Why should we trust you?” This time it was the boy that spoke up. 

“You don’t have to. Hell, you can even come get all of our weapons right now. We have no way to stop you.” Klaus shrugged. Both teens looked slightly uncomfortable so he changed tactics. “If it’ll make you feel better I can have my friends drop all of their weapons right now. I’ll even get out of this suit if you want.” 

The kids nodded in unison so Klaus looked over his shoulder and noticed that the others were already doing what Klaus said they would. He doubled tapped his wrist and the suit folded into the watch. “There, we’re all unarmed,” Natasha spoke up. 

The teens relaxed slightly and Klaus was able to breathe easier. “Would you mind coming with us? We’ll be able to take care of you and keep you safe. You will never have to worry about whatever they did to you again, scouts honor.” Klaus held up a three-finger salute. 

Clint side-eyed him. “You weren’t a scout, ya little lier.” 

“Hush, Clinton. I am as good as my word, I swear on my mother’s grave. I think she’s dead. Maybe she isn’t. I swear on my dad’s life,” Klaus decided. The teens giggled quietly at his antics. “So, what are your names?” 

“Pietro and Wanda Maximoff,” the girl- Wanda-said. They both relaxed so Klaus and the others put their arms back to their sides. 

“Well, Pietro and Wanda, I am Klaus Stark,” introduced with a bow. 

The siblings stiffened when he said his last name and stared at him coldly. “You said you were a Stark. I didn’t know he had kids,” Wanda said. 

“Well, that’s a long story that we don’t have the time to go into,” Klaus replied sheepishly. 

“Stark killed our parents,” Pietro spoke.

“Shit,” Klaus swore. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck and tugged the hair there. “You must’ve been the kids we were alerted about. We tried to get in to save you but the building was unstable and the government was being dickheads and not letting us do our thing. I think Luther got in eventually. You both were supposed to be sent to the next of kin, what the hell happened?” 

They shrugged and didn’t answer. Klaus started muttering that turned into a quiet argument. He sighed and sat on the ground before continuing to talk to himself. The group shared a worried look with each other as they watched him get angrier. Natasha crouched down beside him and listened to his half of the conversation. 

The only sounds that filled the room were the sound of Klaus muttering to himself in a multitude of languages and Natasha quietly cursing in Russian. She stood abruptly and shared a look with Clint before they both began to gather their weapons. “We’ll meet you back in the tower in three days. Don’t call until the three-day mark and don’t send out a search party until five,” Natasha said before they both left without another word. 

Klaus stood and grinned at the others that were still left in the room. “Good news, the assassins are going to put a stop to any future confusion. Bad news, they’re both going to have more blood in their ledger.” 

Sam stared at Klaus incredulously. “You’re really going to let them do that?” 

“The guy who fucked with them was behind this entire base thing. He was in a position of power when the attack happened and any orphans were sent here for testing. He isolated them and tortured all of them for hours. Wanda and Pietro are the only survivors. That man is still in office and if I didn’t have to worry about seeing his ghost every damn day then I would be the one going with her instead of Clint. Dieser Bastard better be glad that I can see his ghost otherwise I would take care of him without Nat’s help,” Klaus snapped. With every word he spoke, Sam paled more and more. 

The twins shared a look and seemed to come to a conclusion. “We will come with you,” Pietro said. 

“On one condition,” Wanda finished. 

“What do you need?” 

“We want to be able to prank Stark whenever we feel like it,” Pietro said with a smirk. Klaus grinned and relaxed. 

“Well, I’ll see what I can have done. Now, c’mon munchkins. I’m hungry and you’re bound to be starving.” Klaus walked forward and draped his arms across both of their shoulders. 

“We aren’t ‘munchkins’,” Wanda protested, putting air quotes around the word. 

“Sorry, you’re right. You are a bambino. A capretto. Liberi. Crianças.” All three of them snorted and headed back toward the jet leaving Sam behind. 

After returning to the States Tony realized how big of a mistake it might have been to bring the twins to the tower. Every other day he was finding silly string in his lab or one of his older suits spray pained. His least favorite had been the airhorn behind the door or under his rolly chair. They figured out the scepter and discovered a stone inside the jewel thing. 

Luther and Ben came up with the idea of building a body for it so it could be protected. That was the day Vision was born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for all of this to happen but sometimes my brain just does what it wants. I was planning on having this but closer to canon but like, fuck canon bc they kill off all the good ones.


	10. 2016 (14 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Civil War but different. Pepper Potts is a bitch and I like her very much. Some Umbrella Academy season 2 but no spoilers and mostly roundabout mentions.

The siblings were finally all together in one place. They’ve been visiting from time to time between their breaks but this is the first time, in a long time, they were all in the tower together. Vanya and Ben have finally graduated. Diego is an official police officer and determined to work his way up the ranks. Allison has had two successful movies and is currently on a break from a tv show she’s working on. And Luther is well on his way to becoming an astronaut. 

They were playing a very competitive game of Uno when Tony walked in and made an announcement. “Children, some jackoff has decided that we need to be put under an order so that we can take responsibility for our actions or some other bullshit. Pepper and I’ll be gone for today and probably tomorrow while we work out the finer details.” 

Luther and Allison nodded along as he spoke while the others just continued to play the game. Ben and Diego at least pretended to listen. “Okay, we’ll see you then,” Allison smiled. The others waved in his general direction. 

“Uno, bitches,” Klaus yelled as he placed down his second to the last card. Tony smiled fondly at them before walking out of the room. 

“You’re cheating,” Ben accused. 

“I have cheated at many things, brother dearest. You’re going to have to be more specific,” Klaus spoke, fluttering his lashes innocently. 

“Right now, I just saw you look to the left and nod. You’re an asshole.” 

Klaus grinned. “When I cheat, you don’t know that I cheat. The problem with you guys is that you’re all unobservant. I was nodding because Edwin told me something about dad.” 

“Doesn’t make you any less of an asshole,” Vanya supplied. 

“Ouch, damn sis. Right through the heart.” Klaus held a hand up to his chest and leaned back dramatically. “Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame,” he started singing terribly off-key. 

“My eardrums,” Luther said as he placed down a red seven. 

“Again, rude.” Klaus placed down his final card which just so happened to be a draw four. “I win.” 

“You don’t win shit, Klaus. You cheated,” Diego yelled. 

“And you,” Klaus said as he pulled the pile of Cheezits toward him, “Are a sore loser.” 

“You won six games in a row and you expect us to believe that you didn’t cheat?” Allison asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“I’ll have you know that I am a law-abiding citizen,” Klaus spoke. 

“Says the guy who still runs around in a metal suit that daddy dearest made for him and fights crime. You are currently the most wanted person in New York,” Diego said. He leaned back and somehow acquired a lollipop. 

“Second most wanted,” Klaus amended. “Technically third if we include Deadpool, but he’s rarely ever in the city and he doesn’t help the Avengers much anymore.” 

“Who’s first?” Vanya asked, voice filled with mirth. 

“Daredevil. They give the guys with d’s in their names first and second place, but truly I wouldn’t blame them. Have you seen their bodies?” 

“I would agree but I’m gay,” Vanya said. Klaus glanced at her, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Well yeah, almost all of us are but surely you can still appreciate the male specimen. Seriously, Deadpool looks like he could suffocate me with his thighs and I would let him. No, I wouldn’t only let him, I would thank him.” 

“Okay, but let me present Jessica Jones. A badass woman that looks gorgeous doing what she does best; kick men’s asses,” Vanya said. Klaus nodded along like they were having a high-end conversation that required a degree to understand. 

“Point. But may I present: Luke Cage. Not only is he hot, but you can see the entire him without it being covered by a stupid suit,” Klaus amended. 

“I’ll give you that. But what about Storm?”

“She is truly a goddess. If she was God then I would be a Christian and not Agnostic.” 

“Same,” Vany grumbled. The others watched in amusement while their siblings talked about the superheroes. “By the way, dad mentioned a mission you guys had a while back, what all happened? He seemed really upset about it. Like, more than usual.” 

Klau relaxed into his chair and folded his hands behind his head. “Well, we infiltrated Shield. Took out Hydra. Destroyed millions of dollars worth of equipment that was going to ‘detect and eliminate any threat before it happened,” Klaus rolled his eyes and put air quotes around those words. “Then Sammy and I took out remaining Hydra agents and I got shot. Died and came back to life. Then we went and had Shwarma, let me just tell you-” 

“Woah. Woah. Woah,” Allison interrupted, putting her hand up as if it could physically stop the words before Klaus stopped. “You died?” 

“And I came back to life. See? No big deal.” Klaus waved off her concern. 

“Um it is a big deal, you’re our baby brother and you’re just telling us you died,” Diego said. 

“I’m your  _ older _ brother,” Klaus reminded with a none-to-polite smile. “Like I said, no big deal. God is an asshole and doesn’t like me, so, she sent me back to deal with your sorry asses.” 

“Did you say she?” Allison asked. 

“As a matter of fact, I did, my dearest twin. God is a woman, spread the word. She also doesn’t like me very much which makes me effectively immortal. There is no way around that unless she decides to like me.” 

“Hey, Klaus,” a voice rang through the kitchen that had Klaus’s blood run cold. “Would you mind explaining to me why I overheard you saying that you died, met God, and are now immortal through some celestial fluke?” Klaus spun his chair around and met Dave’s eyes. 

“It would be better explained away from the kiddies,” Klaus says, halfheartedly gesturing to his siblings. 

“Well then find a place and get explaining,” Dave commanded. Klaus lowered his head in shame and walked toward his room with Dave in tow. 

The siblings haven’t talked to Dave all that much but they did have interesting first meetings. Ben and Vanya met Dave while on semester break. They were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Dave walks in cocooned in a duvet. He poured himself a cup of coffee before he seemed to notice that he wasn’t alone. 

“Oh, hello,” he muttered meekly. Ben and Vanya grinned at him. 

“Hello to you too. Is there a reason you are in our house?” 

His cheeks turned a dark pink and he was just about to answer when a half-asleep Klaus stumbled into the Kitchen. He made grabby hands at Dave and sighed in relief when Dave handed over his cup. “Davey, why are we up so early?” 

“I’m up because it’s twelve and you have a terrible sleep schedule.” Klaus groaned and jumped onto the counter. 

“Yeah, well if you didn’t keep me up all night then I wouldn’t want to sleep in until three,” Klaus shot back. 

“As interesting as this may be,” Ben interrupted awkwardly, “I feel like it would be best if Vanya and I made ourselves known before this gets any more awkward.” 

Klaus stared at Ben for a moment as if he couldn’t believe both of them were sitting in front of him. “It wasn’t like that, Benny-boy. Believe me, if it was then you both would be the first to know. Dave was just playing Call of Duty for, like, ever last night and it kept me up.” 

“That is much more PG-13 than I thought it would be,” Vanya commented. Klaus nodded and took a long sip from (Dave’s) his mug. Klaus only shrugged and took another sip of coffee. 

Allison met Dave while on a break for her most recent movie. It was nightfall by the time she walked into the penthouse and she was dead on her feet. She felt like she could pass out and sleep for years. She stumbled out of the elevator and started toward her room. When she passed Klaus’s room she noticed the door was slightly ajar and the light was on. 

Allison heard Klaus talking and chalked it up to him talking to a ghost. That was until someone responded. 

“Your births may have been unnatural but you’re still you,” the voice said. “I wouldn’t care if you weren’t able to talk to the dead.” 

“That’s sweet, Davey,” Klaus sniffled. “But it isn’t true. If I didn’t have a super weird and paranormal birth then I wouldn't be the son of Tony Stark and you probably wouldn’t even look at me a second time.” 

“Klaus, I don’t like you because you’re famous. I like you because you’re you. You are loud and you don’t care what anyone thinks of you. You live life to the fullest and that’s why I love you.” 

“You love me?” Klaus’s voice was soft and Allison felt her heartbreak for him. 

“Of course I do,” the other guy laughed. “It would be extremely hard not to love you.” Allison left after that because she felt like she was intruding. The next morning when she walked out into the kitchen she noticed there was another person among the Avengers. She nodded vaguely at the person and poured herself a bowl of cereal before sitting down beside Cap. 

“Oh, Allison. This is Dave,” Klau said. Klaus gestured to the guy beside him. Allison took a moment to study Dave. From where she was sitting she could see slight scruff and brilliant blue eyes. 

“Morning.” 

When Luther first met Dave it wasn’t in the tower. Luther went to a bar with Klaus after a long day of training and meetings. “Bartender, another round for me and my dear brother,” Klaus slurred. 

The bartender came over and smiled at Klaus. “Sure.” He poured a couple of shots and passed them to Luther. The bartender leaned across the counter and well into Klaus’s personal space. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing here?” 

“Minding my own damn business as you should be,” Klaus retorted. Luther hid a smirk behind the shot he was downing. 

“Aw come on. Don’t be like that, baby.” 

Klaus grinned sarcastically and downed a shot. He slammed the glass on the table and smirked when the bartender flinched. “I’ll be how I want.” 

“Leave him alone asshole,” Luther interjected. The bartender looked over at him and sneered. 

“What are you gonna do about it, blondie?” 

“This.” Luther stood up and punched the bartender, being careful not to let his superstrength pour in. The guy had a bloody nose and a split lip. He jumped the bar and tackled Luther. They shared punches and at some point Luther headbutted him. 

The entire time this was going on Klaus was cheering “Fight, fight.” Someone stepped in and separated them, taking a hit to the jaw in the process. 

“Cool off asshole,” he yelled at the bartender. The bartender sneered and marched off to the backroom to do whatever. “You good?” He turned to Luther and checked him over. 

“Nothing that won’t heal within the hour,” Luther replied absently. 

“Davey, my night in shining armor,” Klaus cheered from his barstool. He giggled and grinned cheerfully before teetering off to the side. The guy let go of Luther and jumped to catch Klaus before he hit the floor. “See, my hero.” 

“You’re drunk, Spook. Let’s get you and you’re hot-headed brother home.” The guy lifted Klaus up bridal style and started to carry him out of the bar. Luther raced after them, stumbling slightly. 

“Where are you taking him?” Luther yelled. 

“Home,” was all the guy said. Luther followed them with caution. He knew that if anything got out of hand he could easily take the guy in a fight. They turned down unfamiliar streets until Luther caught sight of a familiar building. 

Luther gasped like a little kid and tapped the guy’s arm repeatedly. “Look, it’s home.” 

The guy chuckled and readjusted his grip on Klaus. “I told you I was taking you both home.” He led them both to a secret access door in the back of the tower and they were inside the elevator within seconds. 

“Welcome home Ghost boy and He-man. Good evening Dave,” Jarvis greeted. Luther gasped. 

“He knows who you are,” he whispered. 

The guy shot him an amused grin. “I would hope so, I’ve been dating Klaus for over two years now. It would be pretty awkward if Jarvis didn’t know who I was.” 

“Oh my god, you’re Dave,” Luther squealed. 

“And you’re Luther. Y’know, I didn’t imagine you being like this while drunk.” 

When Luther woke up the next morning he had a terrible hangover. He slumped out to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sighed and sat at the table. Dave walked into the room as chipper as ever. “Good morning.” 

Luther grumbled something incomprehensible and chugged his coffee. 

Diego met Dave while out on the streets. He was walking to the tower after a late night at the academy when he ran into someone. “Watch it,” he grumbled. Diego checked himself over then studied the guy in front of him. The guy was taller than him and holding a shit ton of things. 

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry and I really need to get to the tower,” the guy muttered as he collected the rest of his stuff and made sure he didn’t drop anything. He looked up and scrutinized Diego for a moment. “Long day?” 

“Yeah, you could say that.” Diego brushed himself off and started to walk away. When he got to the tower he saw the guy again in the R&D department. He stopped the elevator and got off. “You work here?” 

“I don’t actually,” the guy smiled. He handed some blueprints to interns and walked back toward the elevator. “I was just on my way here and they asked me to pick up a couple of things.” 

They both stepped into the elevator and waited for it to move. “Where to, Dave?” 

“Penthouse, please, Jar-Jar. Tony needs the rest of these and Klaus said he was setting up a proper sleep schedule.” 

“Right away. Good afternoon, Knife-man. Penthouse?” 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, the penthouse Jarvis,” Diego answered in a daze. 

“You’re Diego, right? Klaus told me about you,” the guy spoke. 

“Yeah. I don’t mean to be rude but, who the hell are you?” 

“That sounded pretty rude. I’m Dave Katz.” Diego looked like it didn’t ring a bell. “Klaus’s boyfriend?” 

“Nope, no clue.” The elevator dinged and they were let off at the top floor. Dave walked into the living room and set the blueprints and other things on the coffee table. 

“Jar, could you tell Klaus that I’m back?” 

“Certainly.” Three minutes later Klaus came sauntering out in a pair of bright neon tiger-striped underwear. 

“Klaus, put some goddamn pants on,” Diego hissed covering his eyes. 

“Then don’t look. Besides, I’m going back to bed soon as long as you’ll let tall, dark, and handsome come with and not try and fight him.” 

“Why would I try to fight him?” Diego asked, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Because you’re you,” Klaus said, an air of finality coating his words. Dave snorted and shook his head in amusement. 

The siblings were called out of their musings when Bucky and Sam walked into the room, arguing about something. “He was my best friend first,” Bucky said. 

“Yeah, well, you were dead for seventy years and he needed to camp out at my house while you were trying to kill him.” 

“Don’t you dare drag him into this. The Winter Soldier isn’t me and I’ve told you this. You’re just a fuckin’ bastard that doesn’t listen to shit.” 

“Damn, right,” Sam said. Allison snorted as she listened to the conversation. 

“Do you think the protocols dad made when we were younger count for them too?” They stopped arguing and listened to her not-quite-threat. 

“I don’t know,” Vanya mused. She glanced them over and scowled. “Right now they don’t really seem like family. They do act an awful lot like an old married couple with how bad they argue.” 

Bucky scoffed and Sam choked and almost coughed up a lung. “Please, if I were to date a man I wouldn’t date him. He’s not even a proper man, look at his scrawny ass,” Bucky shouted. Ben stifled his laughter and Luther hid his with a cough. 

“I am not scrawny. I have better thighs than you could ever want. See this?” Sam slapped his leg and glared at Bucky. “Besides, you’re the last man I would date.” 

“When you said that Sam wasn’t a proper man because he is scrawny what does that make Klaus?” Diego asked vaguely threateningly. 

“Klaus is an honorary whatever the hell he wants to be. If he identifies as a man then so be it. He’s the only exception. Sam on the other hand just fucking sucks so I’m kicking him out of the male gender.” 

“Can he do that?” Luther stage-whispers to Ben while keeping eye contact with them. 

“I don’t think so,” Ben stage whispers back. Bucky stuck his tongue out at them and plopped into a chair that Sam was pulling out. 

“I hate you,” Sam said. Bucky grinned up at him. 

“I know you do.” 

“Should I test the protocol?” Allison asked when they were both sitting. Vanya shrugged along with the rest of the siblings. Sam and Bucky looked rightfully terrified. “I heard a rumor-” She was cut off by the loud blaring ‘Tik Tok’ throughout the floor. “Dammit, it doesn’t work.” Bucky flinched and as soon as the music started, it stopped. 

“Apologies, Sergeant Barnes. Protocol ‘Not in my House’ was activated when miss Allison spoke the trigger words. It has been that way since they were children,” Jarvis said. Allison smiled and crossed her arms. 

“It’s fine Jarvis, I jus’ wasn’t expectin’ it is all,” Bucky spoke softly. Vanya reached out to him and softly placed a hand on his flesh arm. He smiled at her softly. “I’ll be fine, Vanya. No need to worry ‘bout me.” 

“When was it renamed?” Diego mused to himself. 

“Dad let me do it a couple of weeks ago when I was feeling like shit because of Em,” Vanya explained. Luther’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“What did she do?” 

“Don’t worry about it. Bucky, you want coffee?” Vanya stood up and got him a mug after he nodded. 

“Don’t avoid the question, Vanya,” Diego pushed. Vanya idly stared at him over the top of her mug. 

“I’m not avoiding anything, asshole. I just said don’t worry about it because it isn’t your business.” 

“Damn, she does have a bite,” Sam whistled. Diego looked taken aback while Ben tried to stifle his laughter. 

Vanya took a sip of her coffee, not breaking eye contact with Diego. 

“Hey, bitches, I’m back,” Klaus announced. He sauntered into the room with Dave hot on his heels. They didn’t seem to notice how much time passed from the moment Dave walked in to now. 

“How’d it go?” 

Dave held his hand out and wiggled it in a fifty-fifty gesture, Klaus nodded enthusiastically. They walked into the living room and sat on the couch. Well, Dave sat on the couch, Klaus laid down with half of his body on the couch and the other half over Dave. The others filed out of the kitchen not long after. 

Dave put on a movie and they relaxed with their drinks. Around eight-thirty Tony pranced into the living room with Pepper in tow. He looked like an over-excited puppy and it brought a smile to almost everyone’s face. “You should have seen Pep in there. She put those egotistical assholes in their place and I have never been more attracted to her in my entire life,” he swooned. 

Pepper blushed slightly and swatted his arm playfully. “Yeah, well they wanted to make every hero reveal their identities, I couldn’t let that happen. Imagine the PR nightmare if that did. God, Klaus alone would cause an uproar.” 

“Danke,” Klaus replied. “I have always wanted to start an uproar. Do you think they would prefer my skirts or my pants? I should start wearing ‘60s fashion, maybe dress like a hippie or something,” he giggled. 

“Klaus, I know I always encourage you to express yourself however you want, but please don’t bring that back in fashion. I would rather not walk down the streets and see every other person wearing a tye-dye something or the other,” Tony pleaded. Klaus just grinned and snuggled into Dave’s lap. 

“Oh, I have an announcement for the Avengers and Co,” Pepper said after a moment of silence. “We’ll be having an official meeting in two days to talk about how to further the team and welcome a new junior member, we have also been talking about starting a program for young heroes that aren’t quite old enough to join the Avengers on regular high stakes missions. The meeting is mandatory and only death can get you out of it,” Pepper warned. They nodded because everyone knew Pepper’s threats were to be taken seriously. 

The next two days passed by in a blur. There were a lot of people entering the building and the extra floors were filled up more than usual. It seemed like every hero took Pepper’s threat seriously. Everyone met in the debrief room at twelve sharp. 

Tony and Pepper sat at the head of the table with Tony’s kids on his right. Steve and Bucky sat on Pepper’s left with Sam. Clint and Natasha sat beside Klaus and Thor sat directly across from Tony. Wanda, Pietro, and Rhodey sat near Bucky. Bruce sat beside an extra chair, just off of Thor’s right. Vision hovered in the back of the room, a silent observer. 

“Great, we’re all here. Everyone has been called here to welcome a new member. He is not quite old enough to join on life-threatening missions but he will be able to help out with smaller ones. There will be rules and restrictions that will be gone over later when he is in the room. Tony, would you do the honor?” Pepper turned to her boyfriend with a gleeful smirk. 

“Underoos, come on out.” The door burst open and someone in a red and blue suit flipped onto the table. The person lept and landed perfectly in their chair. “Thank you for joining us, Spider-man,” Tony said diplomatically, a small smile adorning his features. 

Klaus glanced at Tony and gasped, clutching a hand over his heart dramatically. “You didn’t,” he accused. Tony glared at him and the other siblings noticed what he was talking about. 

“He totally did,” Vanya said in disbelief. 

“I can’t believe it, he did.” 

“Did what?” Steve was just as confused as almost everyone else. 

“He did the thing that caused the thing because a kid was smart and now a thing is going to happen and I am really looking forward to it,” Klaus explained. Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“Why did I assume I could get a straight answer out of you,” he grumbled. 

“Don’t ever assume I can do anything straight again, it makes you look like a dumbass,” Klaus said. Thor snorted across the table and all eyes fell to him. “Anything you would like to add god of hammers?” 

“God of Thunder, young Stark, but I’ll let it slide. It just seems Midgard customs are much different from Asgard. On Asgard, we don’t have a label for anything, we just are. It is odd to see you puny humans squabble over something we have solved millennia ago,” Thor comments. 

“We did solve it millennia ago when the Greeks and Romans were still out and about. Back then it was encouraged to like someone of the same sex because then soldiers would try harder in battles. Most of their gods were pansexual and genderfluid anyway,” Spider-man supplied. 

“Damn right they were, kid. Norse mythology was also that way but it was only with Loki I believe. Thor, did you ever have to put on a wedding dress and pretend to be a woman because some giants stole your hammer?” Klaus asked with genuine curiosity. 

“No, I did not. But my brother Loki does shift between gender whenever he feels like it. He doesn’t have a qualm with kicking ass in a dress,” Thor said fondly. 

“Bring him over sometime please,” Klaus begged. Natasha elbowed him out of her personal space but she had a fond smile. 

“Can we please get back on topic?” Pepper asked exasperatedly. 

“No can do, sorry Pepper. I would but that is physically impossible,” Klaus supplied. 

“Good,” Pepper said as if Klaus didn’t speak. “So a few ground rules with Spider-man. Nobody is allowed to go snooping around to find out his identity unless he gives the okay or tells you who he is. He isn’t allowed to leave the country and must be back at the tower before five-thirty every morning. There are time limits set into the suit that will alert me and Tony if you are out past the set time. He is also not to be offered any alcoholic beverages, that goes to Thor and Klaus. Anything to add, Tony?” 

“I think you just about covered it, Pep. I’ll talk to him later and go over in more detail. Now, would the Umbrella Academy please stand up?” The six siblings stood at once. They stood like soldiers though Klaus exchanged amused looks with Vanya and Ben. “They are the Umbrella Academy, I am sure most of you know who they are because they have been on the team since day one. Recently they have grown laxer in who knows their identities but that does not mean to blurt it out to your friends, they are still people with lives. Now, if they could please introduce themselves.” Tony thought for a moment before adding, “Less dramatic than the first time.” 

Klaus grinned at his siblings. His hands glowed blue and a ghost beside him becomes corporeal. Several gasps were heard around the room because of all the times the Avengers have worked with him, they live with him for god’s sake, they have never seen him do that. “I am the Seance. No control over the dead but they do make pretty good companions when they aren’t screaming at me to get revenge for them.” The blue around his hands disappeared along with the ghost. He sat down first and shot a glance up at Vanya. 

Vanya snapped and soundwaves were visible where they came from her fingers. A cup in front of her cracked and exploded but she was able to shield the fragments together to keep them from hitting someone. “I’m the White Violin. Don’t know how I got that name, maybe because my eyes turn silver and I become white as a ghost.” 

“Nope, it’s because you are fucking terrifying that’s why,” Klaus supplied helpfully. 

“Language,” Steve shot out before he could stop himself. Everyone in the room just stared at him incredulously. 

“Stevie, I think you hit your head a little too hard on the last mission. Last I remember you swore enough to make the Howling Commandos blush,” Bucky reprimanded. Steve glared at him and ignored the jab. 

“Anyway, don’t listen to him when he calls you out on your language because he swears more than all of us combined, that’s including Klaus,” Allison spoke. “I’m the Rumor, able to warp reality with a few words.” Allison wasn’t able to use her powers because of the tower’s protocols but if she was they would all have been rumored to act like chickens and recorded. 

She took her seat and smiled at her already seated sister. “The Kraken,” Diego spoke. “Able to curve anything I throw.” He threw a knife that he grabbed from god knows where and threw it straight at Bucky. Before hitting him it curved to the side and embedded itself in the table. “Dad, do you think I’d be able to use my ability like a shield?” 

“I haven’t actually thought of that,” Tony replied. “Meet me in the training room later and we’ll try it.” 

He sat down and looked up at Ben to signal it was his turn. “I’m the Horror. There’s an eldritch portal in my chest that leads to these tentacles.” A tentacle reached out from under his shirt and handed him a glass of water without spilling any. 

“That is both terrifying and intriguing,” Spider-man said. “How do they do that? Did you have to train them or were they always like an extra set of arms?” 

“I had to train them. I had to let them learn to be more than killing devices and they seemed to learn really quickly. Dad helped me when I was younger when I accidentally hurt a nanny. She was terrified but it wasn’t fatal. He had to keep me away from people that I didn’t know and sort of isolated me while keeping me close to the family. He trained me through the process and Pepper taught me how to meditate to communicate better with them. Thankfully they have never lashed out and killed anyone unless I was in mortal danger.” 

“That’s interesting. So the portal in your stomach, is it quantum? Does it go through different dimensions? Because either way that’s awesome,” Spider-man said. The other’s could hear his excitement and it didn’t fail to put a smile on their faces. 

“It is quantum,” Tony answered for Ben. “From the research I did I was able to tell that it does go through to another dimension, we just aren’t sure to where. I’m pretty sure the creatures where it leads to are hostile to anyone that isn’t their host on Earth. Moving on please, more questions after. If you want Ben can hang out with you in the lab and you can pester him there.” 

Luther was the last one standing. “Can I rebrand myself?” He turned to Tony and cheered when the older man nodded. “Sweet, I’m going with King Kong, don’t give me that look Diego we both know it’s better than Spaceboy. I have super strength and endurance.” 

“How strong are you?” Spider-man asked. 

“I don’t actually know,” Luther replied. He looked to Tony helplessly and received a shrug. 

“Well can you at least lift up ten tons?” 

“I think, yeah.” 

“Cool, then we’re on the same level.” 

The water Tony took a drink of was spit out unceremoniously. “You can lift up ten tons?” 

“Yep, so theoretically I could carry an elephant. Are you sure I can’t leave the country, Miss Potts? I really want a pet elephant now,” Spider-man whined. 

“Yeah, dad. Can we please get a pet elephant?” Klaus begged. Tony glared daggers at his son. 

“No elephants, and no Spidey, you aren’t allowed to leave the country without explicit permission from your guardian. I think that’s everything then. We have three new members around your age I believe. Wanda, Pietro, and Vision.” 

“Vision is one year old. I’m fucking tired of the baby jokes,” Luther whined. He sunk into his seat to pout. 

“We only do it because we love you. And don’t use that type of language Captain Rogers doesn’t like it and you’re too young,” Klaus said. Steve and Luther glared at him and received a shit-eating grin in turn. 

“Ignore them both it only encourages. Scarlet Witch is Wanda and Quicksilver is Pietro,” Tony informed. “As for the Young Avengers initiative, we’ll see how it goes with those four and work from there.” Tony grabbed whatever papers he brought in and motioned to the door. “Spidey, if you could wait for a moment so I can show you down to the lab.” 

“Sir, there appears to be a man outside the gates. He says his name is King T’Challa of Wakanda and he wants to speak to you and the Captain,” Jarvis informed. 

“Okay Jar, send him up.” 

“He also has a scary bald woman with a spear with him, I am lead to believe that she is part of his guard.” 

“Okay, send them both up to here. Everyone else, return to your floors. Ben, will you please show Spidey to my lab?” 

They dispersed. The siblings, minus Ben, headed up to the penthouse and relaxed on the couch for a few hours. They slowly drifted off to sleep and were woken up by the sound of a door banging against a wall. Immediately they were up in a fighting stance. Klaus mumbled to his left before relaxing. “Not an intruder,” he mumbled, still half asleep. He fell face-first back onto the couch and was out within seconds. 

“Children, you better get up,” Grace said. She walked in and smiled at them all kindly. “Klaus, honey, you’re father needs you to get up and help him,” she spoke sweetly while shaking Klaus awake. Klaus groaned and rolled over on the couch to look her in the eye. 

“Do I have too?” 

Grace nodded sadly and helped him sit up. “Yes, your father needs you all in the kitchen. He needs your help figuring something out for the king. It appears he is very distressed.” 

They nodded numbly and walked out to the kitchen. Sitting at their table was a very stressed looking Tony Stark, a regal-looking King T’Challa, and a bald woman with interesting tattoos on her scalp. “Kids, finally. Good, good, sit. I need help, like a lot of it. King T’Challa’s father was killed in a bombing on the UN by someone that looked suspiciously like Bucky, but I have footage of Bucky raiding my fridge. Looks like you have a late-night mission.” He smiled up at them apologetically. 

“Fine, I’ll send out a couple of scouts and see if they saw anything. Give me ten minutes and if I start snoring just know it is my process,” Klaus said sleepily. He walked over to a corner and sat on the floor, legs crossed and palms facing the ceiling. He sat like that for a good ten minutes, quietly muttering to himself before his eyes shot open. 

“What?” T’Challa asked anxiously. 

“A man named Helmut Zemo is trying to split up the Avengers for his own selfish reason, I don’t know why. He’s staying in a facility in Sokovia with five people in cryo. He is waiting,” Klaus said, shivering despite the temperate room. “I can’t go, sorry, Your Highness but I believe it would be best if I sit this one out.” 

“That is understandable. I will be going by myself to kill him, it will be the one way to bring my father peace.” T’Challa stood with his guard not far behind. He nodded to them all and walked out. The siblings muttered about a weird week before going to bed. 

Three weeks later they got a transmission from Wakanda saying that they were open to the Avengers should they ever need help. 


	11. 2018 (16 years)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite, drumroll, please; Infinity War. Bum. Bum. Bum.

Tony was out with Pepper so Klaus, Vanya, Ben, and Diego were at home relaxing. Allison and Luther returned to their jobs weeks earlier. They were in the middle of a Disney movie when Klaus got a call. He answered quickly and put it on speaker. 

“Hello, father. How is your outing with Pepper going?” 

_ “Change of plans actually. I was kidnapped by wizards- don’t deny it it’s true- and found out the world will be brought to an end. So I need you to call Cap and tell him to get Vision to Wakanda for protection then I need you four to suit up and meet me at the giant doughnut. Allison and Luther have already been notified and they’re on their way.”  _

“Oh goodie, I just love saving the world from intergalactic threats. With any luck, the bad guy won’t be so much of a bad guy and he’ll just hand everything over to us. That would be a nice change in pace.” 

_ “Enough with the sarcasm. Ugh now I need to rinse my mouth out, that sentence tasted terrible. Get your asses down here, the wizard keeps side-eyeing me and I don’t like the look of it.”  _

“Got it, we need to save you from a horny wizard,” Klaus finalized. The faint sound of chocking could be heard followed by Tony laughing his ass off. 

_ “Holy shit. Thank you, Klaus, as always, for gracing the planet with a look into the fucked up thing you call a mind. Now hurry up, Squidward looks pretty pissed and I don’t like it.”  _

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be there.” Klaus ended the call and eyed his siblings miserably. “I hate everyone in this universe except for Dave.” 

“Rude,” Ben said. Klaus stuck his tongue out and double-tapped his watch, the other three repeating his action minus the striking out their tongues. The window to their right lowered and they flew out of it, straight into a battle. Well, not straight into a battle, but the city looked like hell and that was close enough. 

They arrived just in time to almost get hit by a car, correction: flying car. “Didn’t know dad invented flying cars yet,” Klaus commented idly. His family shot him glares as they dodged flying debris. 

“You’re an idiot, that pun was terrible.” 

They landed beside an already suited up Tony and took in the scene. The fighting stopped when they made themselves known, no one moving, analyzing the situation. There were two wizards, one with a red cape and necklace and one without, and Bruce was already Hulked out and fighting an alien that was roughly the same size as him. 

“What’s the plan?” 

“Protect the idiot with the necklace from Squidward and his goon. And keep casualties to a minimum and definitely don’t die,” Tony informed. 

“Stark, who are these people?” 

“That’s the idiot with the necklace, he has anger issues and doesn’t like me as much as God doesn’t like Klaus. That or internalized homophobia.” Tony had a car thrown at him which some could argue was deserved. “Fuck karma, she’s a bitch.” 

“Uh, yeah, that’s kinda the point,” Diego pointed out. Tony smiled at him as he dodged a piece of sidewalk. They focussed back on the battle ignoring the wizard’s question in order to study the way Squidward moved. He seemed to rely on telekinesis as far as they could tell but they weren’t sure about hand to hand. 

Hulk threw the alien he was fighting into the side of the building and left a large crater. He turned and went after Squidward but was thrown into the same building. The siblings hesitated when they saw how effortless it was. Diego threw three knives and watched as they flew past the alien and curved back, embedding themselves in his back. He fell to the ground with a groan. 

Ben’s stomach plate dissolved into the suit and the tentacles wrapped around him. Klaus’s hands glowed slightly and five ghosts became corporeal and started attacking him. Vanya played a song and her own light tentacles reached out and started draining the life from him. His skin tightening to the point it looked painful. Diego threw more knives and embedded them into his sides. 

Squidward’s head snapped up suddenly and they were all shot a good thirty feet away. Klaus caught them before they could slam into anything and get fatally hurt. Tony stepped forward and gestured to his children. They all stood beside him, the backs and sides of their suits coming out to form arches behind them. They shot off blinding flashes of light that the smaller alien blocked with the larger. Now charred to a crisp and no way still alive he was tossed off to the side. 

Squidward waved his hand and wrapped them in whatever was laying around. He knocked out the other wizard and tied the one with the cape to the ground. The chunk of ground he was secured to was lifted up to be level with the alien. He reached out and quickly pulled his hand back. 

“Simple protection spell, no way to get that stone unless I remove it,” the wizard smirked. Klaus and the others struggled against their bindings but to no avail. Seconds later a figure swung above them and stuck something to the alien. 

“Spider-man, welcome to the fight.” 

_ “Hey, Mister Stark. Who are these people?”  _

“Aliens from Bikini Bottom. At least the living one is. The other is now toast.” 

_ “What do I need to do?”  _

“Protect the dumbass currently tied to the floating piece ground with rebar.” 

_ “Got it, Mister Stark.”  _

Spidey swung up and kicked the alien in the face. Squidward lost concentration and the wizard fell to the ground with a loud thud. His cape seemed to adjust itself on its own and pulled him free from his metal cage. He was flown overhead and out of sight. The alien cursed and threw Spidey into a building. 

Spidey got up quickly and followed after him. He webbed onto the wizard and was pulled along with them. Klaus was able to free his family and Tony went after them. 

_ “Uh, Mister Stark? I’m being beamed up,” _ Spidey announced. Tony cursed and flew faster. 

_ “Stay on the ground kids, I’ll be back. Tell Pep that I might not make it to our appointment.”  _

“Got it, dad.” The ship took off and the siblings fidgeted anxiously. They could see Tony’s silhouette flying up toward it. They then saw something fall from the side of the ship only to be hit moments later by something else. “What’s going on dad?” 

_ “I need to save the wizard. When the kid gets back down on the ground take him to the tower and get on a plane to Wakanda.”  _

They continued to fidget helplessly and watch. The ship left the atmosphere and Jarvis lost connection with both Tony and Spidey. “Shit. Shit. Shit.” Klaus kicked a rock and sent it flying. “God damn aliens always ruining my week. I just want one year without someone trying to kill us or the planet. One. That’s all I’m asking for. I get that God doesn’t interfere with her pets or whatever but this just seems like animal abuse. Just leaving us to be attacked by each other. I’ve tried to refrain from calling you a bitch but right now you sure seem like one,” Klaus ranted to no one in particular. 

“Klaus, calm down,” Ben spoke. 

Klaus whirled around and glared at them. “Calm down, he says. As if. I’ll calm down when Dad and Pete are both back on the planet. I’ll calm down when I know that they’re both safe and the wedding is still on. I’ll calm down when the entire world isn’t in danger because of fucking aliens deciding that they really like Earth and want to rule. I’ll calm the hell down when my family isn’t in danger and my planet isn’t being taken over.” 

“Well, when you put it that way,” Diego muttered. Klaus’s glare hardened. “Fine, fine. But we do need to get to Wakanda to warn them that something big is coming.” 

They flew back to the tower and were on a jet within minutes. Vanya started up a video call with Shuri to tell her what was going on. 

_ “Can you please explain to me why two broken white boys and a purple man showed up at our gates saying that it was for their own safety?”  _

“Nice to see you too Shuri,” Vanya grimaced. “About that. We were attacked by aliens in a flying doughnut. Dad told us to send Vision and Cap to you so they could be safe and Bucky tagged along. I don’t know what is going on but Vision needs to be protected at all costs. Not much was explained other than a wizard with a necklace needed to be protected and now Dad and Spidey are off in space.” 

_ “When you guys get here we will look more into everything. Am I correct in assuming that Vision has a stone in his head?”  _

“Yeah, I believe it was referred to as the Mind Stone once.” 

_ “Okay if the aliens are looking for the stone then it would be best if we removed it from his head. Can you bring Doctor Banner with you?”  _

Vanya looked to her siblings helplessly. They shrugged and Ben typed something into the wrist on his suit and the jet was changing courses. “Yeah, we’ll be there soon with Bruce as a present.” 

_ “I can’t wait. T’Challa has been antsy and I believe he misses his favorite white boy,”  _ Shuri replied with a grin. 

“Tell my Dark Knite in a Catsuit that I’ll be there soon Princess.” 

Shuri laughed at Klaus’s comment and nodded.  _ “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him that you still haven’t given up with the furry jokes.”  _

“Good, because he really needs to realize that he is going to give furries false hope if he keeps running around like that,” Klaus commented with faked concern. Sometimes the siblings find themselves wondering how Allison ended up in Hollywood and not Klaus. 

_ “I’ll talk to you guys later. I send mine and T’Challa’s love.”  _

“Okay, bye Shuri.” The plane stopped and dropped the stairs. Bruce was on and seated not long after that. The plane ride was uneventful and they were all grateful after the fight they just came from. When it landed they were all quick to get out and head into the palace. “Shuri,” Vanya called. 

Moments later Shuri walked out with cat gauntlets on. “Oh good. Doctor Banner would you please follow me.” Bruce followed her without a word of protest. The siblings chose to hang out with T’Challa instead of trying to keep up with the science jargon. They were there for a few hours, their worry not dimming in the slightest, when an army at the shields caught everyone’s attention. 

“Shit.” They all sprung into action before the word was even finished. The Dora Milaje were contacted and all civilians were put into safe houses. Those that could fight were given weapons and those that couldn’t were guarded. Steve was in his full uniform, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver both ready to attack, and Bucky armed, quite literally, with a vibranium arm. Shuri stayed back in the lab with Okoye guarding her and Vision. 

The army tried to break through the barrier. They cracked it and almost destroyed the entire thing until Steve made the decision to have a small section of it opened so they could have their enemies in front of them. Taking out the army was the easy part. Vanya, Klaus, and Ben taking out up to twelve at a time while Diego stabbed and distracted. His shield idea worked better than he expected when he was able to shield himself and his siblings from flying spears by bending them away from them. After which he cheered that he was a Metal Bender and ended up letting an alien get too close. 

All was going well until a giant purple guy arrived. His army parted like the red sea for Moses as he walked past them. “Where is it?” He called out over the sounds of fighting. 

“Look, I don’t know what you want but you look like a giant purple raisin and it would be lovely if you didn’t taint the grass with the ugliness that is you,” Klaus shot out. The giant glared at him and extended his left hand. Klaus was lifted into the air and fighting to breathe. 

“Look at you, so small and insignificant. It is for the best that you die now,” he spoke. His lips curled up into a cruel smirk when Klaus passed out. A giant blue beam of light shot out of Klaus’s chest and brought every spirit around him back. Almost everyone gasped in shock at seeing their fallen comrades. The ghosts all fought the giant raisin and eventually Klaus was dropped in favor of protecting himself from things that couldn’t die. 

Ben and Vanya saw red. The tentacles pulsed out of Ben’s stomach and Vanya rose into the air of her own accord. A bright white light shown from her chest and the enemy army was leveled in a single blast of energy. The only one still standing was the latecomer. The blue light from Klaus faded and so did the specters. The tentacles wrapped around the giant’s body and pushed him to the ground. 

He smirked and snapped his fingers once, sending everyone reeling. He was gone in a blast of blue and a scream was heard from the palace. T’Challa, Steve and Bucky were the first on the scene. The giant stood over the lifeless body of Vision with the Mind Stone in his hand, millimeters away from the gauntlet. He smirked at them as he placed the final stone. A surge of energy knocked them back from him. 

“It is simple really, not enough resources for everyone. Without half the population stealing those resources then everything will finally be even.” He snapped his fingers and the world might as well have ended. Steve watched as T’Challa and Bucky started to fade to dust. 

On the battlefield, half of the army was wiped out without a single trace of where they once stood. Diego watched as his siblings slowly faded away into dust. He wasn’t able to do anything to stop it and had never felt so hopeless in his entire life. 

He fell to his knees and cursed God out in every language he could think of. The army was in ruins and so was his family. He wondered if it was some form of punishment he earned for something he did in a past life. Maybe he was as mad as the purple raisin. 

Tears streamed down his face, cutting through the grime on his cheeks. He stood on wobbly legs and collect his knives. Diego shakily made his way into the palace but stopped short when he saw the creator of this madness. His knee jerk reaction was to throw a knife and embed it his the opposer’s forehead. So that’s what happened. 

For all he knew, his entire family was gone and he was now an orphan. The giant fell to his knees as blood dripped from his mouth. “Eventually you will see that I was right,” was the last thing he spoke before he was turned into a pincushion. Diego fell to his knees in front of the body and took a sick and twisted sort of pleasure in the way the blood pooled around the man. 

“You will never be right you sick son of a bitch,” he murmured. He grabbed another knife and stabbed him in the back of the head for good measure. 

The gauntlet was removed and placed into a box for safekeeping. Diego went home smelling like blood and tears. He was welcomed by Pepper and gladly accepted her hug. Allison and Luther stood behind her with worry-filled expressions. 

Tony returned almost a month later with a purple robot lady. He looked worse than ever and it broke their hearts to see him like that. He was stuck in a wheelchair for over a month before they moved out to a cabin in the country. Luther and Allison didn’t bother going back to their jobs because they didn’t see the point. 

Morgan was born around seven months after the snap. Everyone was in a funk until they saw her smiling face. Maybe they’d be able to make it through this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, please don't kill me. I'm too gay to die. Sorry, not sorry. The Plot has spoken and these are the words she uttered.


	12. 2019 Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five returns with news and Tony isn't happy or surprised.

Diego was sitting in what was supposed to be Vanya’s room when he heard shouting come from the living room. He quickly grabbed every knife he owned and cautiously walked out. He walked into the room to see Pepper, Allison, and Luther watching the news while cuddled up to Morgan. 

“What happened?” 

“They’re reporting on a temporal anomaly over at the Malibu mansion. Allison, Dad and I were just going to check it out,” Luther spoke. Diego nodded and sat down beside the woman that had slowly become their mom. The other two siblings shared a look before standing and heading down to Tony’s lab to get him. 

“What do you think it is?” He asked absently as Morgan gripped his thumb. 

“I don’t know,” Pepper sighed. “I really hope it isn’t another alien invasion, though.” Diego hummed his acknowledgment and played with Morgan some. Pepper handed the baby off to him and walked into the kitchen to get food and a drink. Diego didn’t move for the longest time, afraid that if he did he would somehow hurt her. She reached up and pulled on a strand of his hair. 

Over the year since the snap, he hadn’t kept up with keeping his hair cut close like he used to. Now it was almost shoulder length and Morgan decided it was the perfect toy. He smiled at his little sister when she tugged slightly and stared up in wonder when his head moved with it. 

Morgan burbled something that didn’t sound like any language ever spoken and Diego’s smile widened. “You will grow up to be the best of us all,” he whispered. Diego sang a quiet lullaby that he remembered from when he was younger and rocked her to sleep. When she was out he focussed back on the news and saw his family appear on the scene. Allison shooed the camera crews away while Luther stood next to Tony. Someone fell through the portal and before the cameras were able to focus on who it was, all footage was cut. 

The newscasters said how it was technical difficulties while Diego stared blankly at the screen. If he didn’t know any better, he would have guessed he saw Five fall out of the portal. Pepper came back in and muttered something about putting Morgan in her crib. Diego numbly handed his little sister over as he continued to stare at the tv like he saw a ghost. 

He chalked it up to cabin fever just as his dad and siblings walked into the house. “Guess who fell out of the portal,” Tony said somberly. He walked in carrying a small figure in his arms bridal style. The figure was passed out and completely limp in his arms. Diego turned and studied who he was holding for a solid ten minutes. 

“That can’t be,” he whispered. 

“I am pleased to inform you that you’re wrong, Knife-man,” Jarvis spoke happily. Grace walked out of a room and gasped. 

“Mister Stark, please tell me you’re all wrong,” she said. Tony usually prided himself on how human his creations were able to react. Right now was not one of those times. He could hear the heartbreak of a mother in Grace’s voice and it nearly brought him to tears. 

“I’m not Gracie, this is little Five. He passed out after he fell through the portal.” 

Grace reached out for the child she came to care for as a son and was pleased when Tony handed him over. “I’ll put him into bed and start making his favorite. I’ll let you all know when he wakes up.” 

Tony stepped forward and placed both hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have to do that, Grace. Please, just relax for a bit. This year has been quite hectic. Jarvis can tell you when he wakes up and not a moment after. I know you want to look after him but all this stress isn’t good for you.” 

“I know Tony, but it has been almost seventeen years since I last saw him, I just want to be sure he is real and not a malfunction in my hardware,” Grace said sadly. She looked down at Five’s grimy face and smiled mournfully. 

“Feel his weight in your arms? He is real, I promise. How about we compromise? You can sit in the room and watch over him and then I’ll make the sandwich and you can give it to him, how’s that sound?” 

Grace sighed and glanced up to meet Tony’s eyes. “Fine, as long as Jarvis keeps me company though,” she replied with a shy smile. Tony smirked. 

“I made a suit specially for him. It looks much more human than my others and it’s only for Jarvis.” 

Grace nodded and walked away with the sleeping body of Five. When Five woke up the next morning Diego was reminded how much he disliked thirteen-year-old Five. He was raiding the kitchen for anything edible and hissed at Diego when he walked into the kitchen. He was also cradling a cup of coffee to his chest like it was the only thing keeping him in place. 

“Is there a reason you hissed at me?” 

“I could feel your judgment rolling off you in waves. It disgusts me,” Five said. Diego nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what he said. 

“You have gotten much weirder. Can you pour me a cup while we wait for dad to get up?” 

He nodded curtly and jumped around the kitchen in flashes of blue. “You have questions, I can tell.” 

“Who wouldn’t have questions when their baby brother disappears for almost seventeen years then shows up suddenly looking like not a day went by?” Diego raised an eyebrow at him. Five shrugged and took a bite of a sandwich he made. “Peanut butter and marshmallow?” 

“What else?” 

“You know, even after we had the funeral Vanya still made you sandwiches and left them out for you. That was after we moved too,” Diego spoke softly. Five’s hard features softened almost as soon as Diego mentioned Vanya. 

“Where is she anyway? Actually, where is Klaus, he’s usually the first one up to torment people.” 

Diego sighed and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. Five’s eyes followed the movement and narrowed suspiciously. “It’s a long story,” he settled on saying. Five looked up at a clock on the wall and shrugged. 

“I’ve got time, I can’t do anything ‘till dad wakes up,” he said. Diego stood with his cup of coffee and nodded toward the living room. Once they were both settled on the couch Diego started the story. 

“Around three months after you disappeared we had a funeral and moved from the mansion. Dad had a tower here that was for the company, I don’t know if you remember or not. He renovated the top few floors to be our private floors and that’s where we live until recently. Well, we were around fifteen or sixteen when Klaus and Alli were talking and came up with the idea for us to be vigilantes of sorts. I believe we were sixteen when the suits were made and finished and we stopped our first crime. Dad made sure that no one knew it was us so we continued to it until adulthood when we moved out and onto different things. 

“A group called the Avengers was started in 2012 or around there when Loki, Norse God of sorts, attacked a Shield base,” Diego explained. Five held up his hand and stopped him. 

“What does Shield do?” 

“Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They take care of everything the government can’t. Their head, Director Nick Fury, started the team. He recruited five people and the god Thor invited himself. Our group, we called ourselves the Umbrella Academy, also helped them. Klaus was a major help in keeping the situation contained and under control, ironically. We’ve been helping them out since that day. Klaus was a bigger part of them than all of us put together.” 

Five stopped him again with narrowed eyes. “‘Was’? What is that supposed to mean?” 

“Past tense of is,” Diego sniped. Five’s eyes narrowed further causing Diego to sigh. “I’m getting there. Anyway, Klaus helped them more than all of us put together. Last year two aliens came to Earth and attacked Dad and a wizard, Doctor Stephan Strange because Strange had something called an Infinity Stone.” 

Five cursed. “Don’t tell me the aliens got one.” At Diego’s grave expression he cursed again. “This is bad, really bad. Did they use it?” 

“I’m getting there. Sit your hyperactive ass back down. Anyway, they were working for a higher power, a mad Titan named Thanos-” that was Five’s cue to let out another string of curses. “He had five stones when we fought him in Wakanda. He won and killed one of our own to get the sixth. He decimated half of the population. Klaus, Vanya, and Ben included.”

“Dammit, Diego. Why didn’t you stop him?” 

Diego’s anger flare and he stood to his full height, overall not very impressive but still towering over Five. “Don’t you think I tried? How do you think I felt when I watched them turned to dust in front of me? Not able to do jack shit about it but still being stuck watching it happen over and over. I tried to stop him, the closest I got was turning him into a pin cushion  _ after _ he dusted half the universe.” 

Morgan started crying in another room causing Diego’s anger and adrenaline to wash out of him. He walked back to the room with Five hot on his heels to comfort her. He gently picked Morgan up and cradled her to his chest, giving her one of his fingers to play with. “Who’s this?” 

“Dad and Pepper’s daughter, Morgan. You want to hold her?” 

Diego looks up from the baby he’s holding and could have sworn he saw a wave of shock pass over Five’s face. Then his face contorted to an indifferent scowl and any sympathy Diego felt was gone. “No, not right now. When does dad wake up these days?” 

Diego checked his watch. “Around now. Usually, Morgan gets hungry at this time, dad always has to feed her breakfast,” he explained. Five nodded and walked out of the room. Diego took Morgan into the kitchen to get her a bottle. After quickly heating it up and checking the temperature he started to feed her. His eyes drifted over to Five and he noticed him staring enviously at the child. “Feed her, I need to go take care of something.” 

Five glared at him but took the baby without complaint. Diego would’ve said it was cute if Five wasn’t such an asshole. As he was walking toward Grace’s room he ran into Tony. “Is Five up yet?” 

“Yeah. I made him feed Morgan because he is too emotionally stunted to ask like a regular person,” Diego grunted. Tony smiled at him proudly. He patted Diego’s shoulder as he passed. 

When Tony got to the kitchen it took everything in his being not to verbally aw at the sight. Five was sitting at the kitchen table with Morgan cradled to his chest, a bottle almost half empty that she was suckling on. Five was staring down at the baby with wonder and amazement clear on his face and he was muttering to her while she ate. 

“Good morning,” Tony greeted, pulling out a chair across from his kids. 

“Morning. I need to talk to you. How long was I gone?” 

“A little over sixteen years,” Tony replied sadly.

“It has been much longer than that,” Five retorted. He scowled and glanced down at his little sister. “I spent forty-five years in the future looking for a way to get back. It’s shit by the way. What’s today’s exact date?” 

“April first, 2019. Why?” Tony’s eyes narrowed as he eyed his kid. 

“The world ends in eight days and I need to stop it,” Five announced. Morgan finished her bottle so Five handed her over to be burped. 

“Eight days. What happens in eight days?” 

“Don’t know. A lot could happen truthfully. I hate to ask but I need help stopping it. I have no clue where to start,” he admitted. Tony’s eyes widened in shock. Five used to never admit when he needed help, something terrible clearly happened. 

“Where did you go in the future?” 

Five sighed and steepled his fingers. “That’s where things get tricky. I landed in the apocalypse after my failed time jump in ‘02 and have been stuck there for forty-three years. I was then found by a woman who claimed she could help and I got screwed over. They trained me to be the best assassin they had and sent me throughout time to take out their targets. I worked with them for three years before finally getting the equations done. I got something wrong though and I now look thirteen.” 

Tony nodded as he patted Morgan’s back. “I can see how that would be a problem. You said you have no clue where to start, is there anything you remember standing out when you first landed?” 

“When I landed the mansion was leveled as much as everything else. Everyone was inside,” Five whispered the last part. Tony’s heart broke for his son. “Nothing stood out much except for one home I came across on my travels. Nothing to identify it by but the scorch marks around it. Full circle, darker around the center.” 

“Like Howard’s bomb,” Tony whispered. Five looked at him curiously and followed when he stood. They walked down to Tony’s lab where he had all of the blueprints he or Howard ever designed. He rifled through them with one hand before Five reached out for Morgan, giving him an extra hand. When he finally found it he showed it to Five. 

“So, it explodes and then the explosion is pulled back in on itself. The only thing, the house was still there, it wasn’t wadded into a ball like these say it should if the bomb should go off,” Five said. Tony frowned and looked over the blueprints more thoroughly. 

“Do you think it could have been a mutant or one of the forty-three?” Tony leaned a hip against the table and looked at Five. 

“Out of the two years I’ve worked with the commission I have never met a mutant with that kind of power. It had to have been one of the forty-three,” Five said, absently brushing his fingers over Morgan’s soft hair. 

“Do you remember where the house was? I should be able to get Jarvis to scan for mysterious births that day and run it through where houses are and see if I can at least triangulate an area. All I ask is that you don’t kill, or torture the person. What they do in the future should be punished after they do it, not before.” 

Five nodded but Tony still had a vague feeling of dread hanging around him. “Can you pull up a map? I might be able to figure it out better if you do.” Tony pulled up a map on his phone and projected it to the only blank wall in his lab. Five studied it for a moment and zoomed in on a place that was in Canada. He zoomed in a bit more and stopped when he got to the town. He turned back to Tony with a helpless look, one he most definitely did not know he had. 

“Alright, Jarvis you go that?” 

“Running scans now, sir. Welcome home Five.” 

Five smiled and cradled Morgan closer to his chest. “Thanks, Jarvis, it’s good to be back.” 

Diego came down the steps and stopped in his tracks. “Who knew Little Five had a heart?” He commented, smirking slightly. Five glanced up and the next thing Diego knew a knife was flying through the air toward his face. Diego held up a hand and the knife curved and hit the ceiling. “Rude.” 

“What’s rude is calling me a kid. I’m older than you asshole.” Five glared at him before turning his attention back on the baby in his arms. Diego looked at Tony and saw a small smile on his face. 

“So, what’s the plan?” 

“Well, Jarvis is scanning everything from the forty-three and trying to find out if one of them lives there,” Tony put his finger on the map in the approximate place that Five identified. “Five said that the end of the world is in eight days and this is the best start we have.” 

Diego nodded. They all walked back upstairs and were greeted by Pepper and Grace. “I see you’ve met your sister,” Pepper said, inclining her head toward Five. 

“I did. She’s adorable, Pepper.” 

Pepper smiled at him. “I know.” 

Grace walked over to Five and pulled him into a hug, being mindful of the bundle in his arms. “I’ve missed you so much, Five.” 

Five wrapped an arm around her and seemed to melt into the embrace. “I’ve missed you too, mom.” Five pulled away after a moment and handed the baby over to Pepper. 

“Okay, now, can you tell us the full story? From beginning to end and don’t bother leaving out details,” Tony said. Five looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’ll know, kid. I raised them and I always knew when they were bullshitting me.” 

“Alright, old man, let’s see if you can keep up.” Five walked over to the table and sat down. He smiled at them but it was more comparable to an animal baring its teeth. “We should probably wait for the others.” 

Diego grabbed two knives and threw them down the hall. Seconds later two dull thunks could be heard followed by swearing. “Dammit, Diego. Can’t you just wake us up like a normal person?” Allison walked out into the kitchen but stopped short when she saw Five sitting at the table, very much not asleep. “Oh.”

“Where’s the other? I have a story to tell and I’m kinda on a time limit.” 

“You have enough time to wait for Luther to get up,” Tony commented. 

“Do I? If I remember thirteen-year-old Luther spent more time waking up and getting ready than all of us put together. I don’t have the time or patience to wait for that.” 

“He’s faster now,” Allison defended. Diego scoffed but didn’t comment. The floor creaked and Luther appeared a second later. “Told ya.” 

“Alright. This is going to be a long story so I suggest you all sit down and shut up.” 

They did as they were told and Five dived into the story. He told them about how he jumped forward in time and ended up in the apocalypse. He said how he was completely alone for forty years before he met another breathing soul. Said the guy went by the name Thanos. Thanos spoke of equality, punishing people before they committed the crime, destroying half of the population so the other half could thrive. They were both recruited by the commission and trained to be killers. Thanos was already proficient in hand to hand so he went out into the field first. When Five went out he discovered that the Titan had plans to go back in time and change the past so it fit his agenda. Five killed him, then and there and made it look like an accident. He told them of how he became the best assassin the Commission ever had, rising through ranks quickly. The story ended with Five in 1963 at the Kennedy assassination. He said he traveled back before he could do his job. 

Over an hour passed, Five talking while everyone else listened intently. At some point, Grace made everyone tea and coffee. “So, forty-three years in the future with no one but a mad Titan and psychopaths to keep you company. That sounds like actual hell,” Diego commented. 

“It was. Now we need to stop the apocalypse before it happens. We’ll all be dead if we don’t.” 

“Fun,” Tony deadpanned. 

“Sure is. Now, do we have any decent food? I’m starving and the apocalypse doesn’t have anything good.” 

“I’ll make you something,” Grace smiled. She stood but was stopped by Tony. 

“Grace, sweetheart, sit down. The only thing you have been doing for the past year is cooking and cleaning, while I appreciate it you need to relax for a while. It isn’t healthy for anyone, androids included,” Tony reprimanded. Grace frowned at him and pulled her arm out of his grasp. 

“I appreciate you keeping an eye on me but I’m fine. Truly. I just want to be with Five for as long as I can, he is as much of my son as he is yours, Mister Stark.” 

“Fine, but go easy. I don’t want you to get hurt, Gracie. I hate seeing you like this, all depressed and shit. We’ll get them back someday,” Tony sighed. 

“I know, Mister Stark. But you need to take your own advice and take it easy,” Grace said. 

“Fine, I get it. I’ll quit telling you to do shit as long as you don’t expect me to follow my own advice,” Tony conceded. Grace smiled and squeezed his shoulder as she walked passed. Jarvis chimed overhead alerting them to someone at the door. Tony got up and moved to open it. His voice could be heard traveling through the house to the kitchen. 

He came in moments later with what was left of the Avengers, minus Clint. Five nodded to them before accepting the plate of food Grace handed him. His scowl softened into something close to a smile as he looked down at the eggs and bacon in the shape of a smiley face. “Thanks, mom.” 

“Tony, you never told me you had another child. I knew you had Morgan but who’s the other?” Natasha spoke. Five glared at her when he realized she was talking about him and bit off a piece of his bacon. 

“That’s Five,” Tony replied. Grace sat down three more plates on the table in front of Diego, Allison, and Luther, all looking the same as Five’s. 

“Does everyone want breakfast?” 

“I could eat,” Nat shrugged. She sat down beside Luther and went to grab a piece of his bacon but was swatted away. “You the same Five that died seventeen years ago?” 

“No, it was some other kid named Five Stark that died and I’m just the human replacing him,” Five said sarcastically. Nat raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t bite her head off, Five.” The man in question glanced up at his father. 

“And why not? It’s not like her simple mind would be able to comprehend the shitshow that I survived.” Steve and Natasha shared an unreadable look and Rhodey shifted uncomfortably.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Natasha challenged. She leveled him with a penetrating stare and was shocked when he stared back indifferently. 

“Look, Natalia, I have seen and done things so horrifyingly unimaginable that you can’t even begin to imagine. I have killed more than you, I have seen much worse things than your assassin glare. Have you ever woken up one day in a post-apocalyptic world after having a nightmare about your family’s pained screams as a building falls on top of them and crushes them but only so much that they are stuck to die slowly with their oxygen only to realize that it most likely happened?” 

Natasha was frozen in her spot. “You called me Natalia,” she muttered quietly. Five raised an eyebrow at her but she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. “I haven’t been called that since the red room.” 

“What do you go by? Let me guess, you anglicized your name after moving to the States or at least away from Russia so something like Natasha right?” She nodded mutely and his lips quirked in an odd sort of smile. “Figured as much. Good morning uncle Jim, coffee?” 

Rhodey shrugged and pulled out a chair beside Five. Five jumped away in a flash of blue and reappeared at the cabinet. He grabbed a mug and jumped to the coffee pot. After filling the mug he jumped to the fridge and pulled out the cream. He jumped back to the table with the coffee made just how Rhodey liked it. “Thanks, Blinky.” 

“You know this kid?” Steve asked, a note of hysteria underlying in his voice. 

“No, Captain Rogers he doesn’t know me. I’ve just appeared out of a wormhole yesterday, showed up here on my own, named myself after Tony Stark’s dead child, and somehow already have a nickname from Colonel Rhodes. It really is a mystery how it all happens.” 

Rhodey choked on his coffee and had to set the mug down on the table before he spilled it. “I see you’re still a sarcastic little shit.” 

“Observant as ever,” Five replied dryly. “Jarvis, did you find anything out yet?” 

“Not yet I’m afraid. It will probably take another hour or so until then I advise you to take a break and try not to overexert yourself,” Jarvis chimed. Tony was proud of his skills and his AIs, he could hear how much Jarvis cared for Five from the little that he spoke. 

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now, could everyone please find a seat? All your shifting is grating on my nerves and I’m getting twitchy. Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you now would we?” He smiled ferally, flinching when Tony slapped him upside the head. “Ouch, fuck off, old man that hurt.” 

“Oh boohoo. You’re not too old to be placed in time out,” Tony warned. 

“I’m older than you,” Five shot back. 

“Not physically.” 

“An error in calculations.” 

“An error that makes me older than you. We both know that Starks only mature to sixteen, anything passed that is just trauma,” Tony shot out. 

“Point. Anyways, sit your asses down if you’re staying before someone gets their kneecaps shot out.” 

“Not with the baby in the room,” Pepper warned. Five glanced over at them, expression softening significantly. 

“Fine, but they will get stabbed.” 

“Just don’t get blood on the carpet.” 

The team glanced at each other nervously. Bruce and Thor were the first ones to sit, Steve following right after. Everyone else had to pull chairs from other places Rocket choosing to sit on the counter. “Nice raccoon,” Five replied. 

“I’m not a raccoon,” Rocket defended. 

“Sure, Build-a-Bear. Any reason you all are here or is this just a normal house call? Maybe you just wanted to visit for a bit, but that’s unlikely because I take it you haven’t been here in a while.” 

“How can you tell?” Pepper challenged with a smirk. 

“I was a trained assassin. I know how to spot when someone’s out of place, you all, are out of place. Uncle Jim, anything you would like to add?”

“Nope, Blinky, you got it all in one. For most of them, this is their first time here. Steve, Natasha, and Bruce have been here before but that was a while back. The one you named Big Blue Robot, her name is Nebula, was here last week. She and Tony formed a bond while he was out in space. She’s been visiting quite a bit but she takes time getting used to new places.” 

“Oh cool. I have four younger sisters then,” Five replied absently. He finished his food and jumped to the sink to wash it. 

“How do you have four younger sisters?” Rhodey asked, sounding as puzzled as ever. 

“Earlier when dad and I were arguing, I hope you heard me say that I was older than him and if not then that should really be checked out. I’m fifty-eight making me the third oldest in this room if my math is correct. Captain, you’re a man out of time. I saw you one day when I was doing a mission. I’m impressed with your drive and willingness to help people. The Handler was especially fond of you.” 

“Kid, you can’t just drop a bomb like that and move on like it’s nothing,” Steve said. Five glared at him and he held up both hands in surrender. “Sorry, Five. So, if you are really fifty-eight then why do you look thirteen?” 

“My math was off when I traveled forward from ‘63. The decimal point was in the wrong place. A simple error that caused this much damage,” Five gestured to his prepubescent body disdainfully. Anyways, when Jarvis gets his search done you’re all either gonna have to get out or come with.” He spun away from the sink and walked back to the table, sitting back in his spot beside his uncle. 

“Where are you going?” Steve asked hesitantly. 

“Probably Canada if I was right. If not then somewhere with a sturdy bomb shelter because whatever blew up killed Logan and Deadpool and those assholes are immortal.” 

Tony squeaked slightly and rounded on his son. “How do you even know about them?” 

“It’s kinda hard not to when one spits bullets back out as soon as they hit him and the other talks to himself and carries around a grenade launcher everywhere possible. Plus, the Commission flagged them thirty-some years back and has been trying to kill them ever since. The closest they got was wiping out whoever they were with at the time,” Five said. He threaded his fingers together and leaned them on the table.

“What is this Commission that you keep mentioning?” Thor asked. Five turned his head and studied the god. 

“The Temporal Commission works to keep the timeline. They have field agents that send news back to HQ where desk people figure out what went wrong. After that is figured out information is sent back to the field agents to kill whoever fucked it up. Shit, I just thought of something. Jarvis, can you scan my body for any foreign objects?” 

“It appears there is something in your arm.” 

Five cursed again and jumped over to the knife drawer, grabbing a small pairing knife and stabbing his arm. All at once, chaos broke out. The adults yelled at him and surged to grab the knife. He jumped out of their reach and cut his arm farther. This repeated itself multiple times before he let the knife be taken away. Five dug his fingers into the cut with a wince and pulled out something small and green 

“I fucking knew it. Those assholes didn’t trust me for a second. Dad, it would be best if this was taken as far from here as possible. Maybe the bottom of the ocean,” he said. Tony nodded, a sick look on his face, and grabbed the tracker from Five’s outstretched hand. He left the room and came back ten minutes later looking much better. 

“There, I sent it off with an old suit of armor. That should send them on a wild goose chase for a while.” 

Five nodded firmly and was about to respond when Jarvis chimed again. “I found something, young sir. It appears that a Harold Jenkins was born mysteriously to Sara-Lee Jenkins. No mention of a husband after birth only that he was raised in a small town in Ontario. I have triangulated the location and it appears that his mother was snapped last year.” 

Five and his family all shared a knowing look. “Alright assholes, who’s all coming with?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed Harold's back story a bit so that he would fit better with my plot I needed something to cause the apocalypse and he is my lab rat.


	13. 2019 part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They figure shit out about the apocalypse and time travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the X-men are shown later in the chapter and it has been a hot minute since I watched the movies. Please forgive me for any mistakes I made with their castle mansion school thing.

Turned out that everyone wanted to go. Tony didn’t have a car big enough to fit them all so they had to take three separate cars. Tony, Five, Bruce, and Thor in the first car. Carol, Luther, Natasha, Steve, and Rocket in the second. Rhodey, Nebula, Diego, and Allison in the third. The drive was agonizingly long and Five regretted taking the cars not even ten minutes into the trip. 

When they got to Canada Tony pulled up the location Jarvis pinged to his phone and followed the directions to a small town. They checked mailboxes and found Jenkins. Tony continued driving after marking the location and pulled into an empty car lot. Tony, Carol, and Rhodey each got out of their respective cars and talked over the plan. Rhodey’s car was going to the library to do as much research about the Jenkins as they could. Carol’s car was going to wait around the corner while Tony’s car went to the house. 

Tony and Five were the only ones to get out so they wouldn’t overwhelm him and went to knock on the door. They waited for a few minutes before Five’s patience wore thin and he jumped into the house. Tony loudly cursed his son and ran his hands through his hair. He waited at the door for two minutes before Five jumped back out and glared at anything he looked at. 

“I take it he wasn’t home,” Tony commented mildly on the way back to the car. 

“What gave it away, the fact that I’m pissed or he isn’t with me?” Five’s tone was clipped and Tony could tell that he wasn’t in the mood for jokes. 

“Alright, well, Rhodey and them are at the local library. We could go there or we could regroup somewhere else,” Tony sighed. He pulled open the car door and nearly fell into the driver’s seat. “Or, we could wait for Rhodey to call and find out what he knows. In the meantime, I suggest we look for another public place to research him, maybe find another place he could be.” 

Five scoffed. “Like that would help much, for all we know he got dusted. I knew it was a fucking mistake coming here but instead I listened like an idiot. The Commission probably has something, they would have been a better start than this bullshit.” 

“Cut the shit, kid. Don’t give me that look, I’m still your dad and I’m going to call you whatever you want. You’re in a bad mood and lashing out at anything that breathes funny and I’m sick of it already. Calm down, take deep breaths, and think before you speak. I’m fine with the snark but as soon as it turns into insults that’s where I have to draw the line. Sit back in your seat and think about everything going on for a moment.” 

Five sat in shocked silence. Tony has only snapped at his kids a handful of times, all able to be counted on one hand. Five will admit that he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of his dad’s anger. “Fine, just don’t snap at me and don’t call me kid.” 

“No promises,” Tony teased, a light smile on his face. Five’s lips twitched into the hint of a smile and Tony counted it as a win. “So, door number one? Door number two? Or door number three?” 

“I have always liked three the best,” Five said in mock contemplation. “Door number three.” 

“Good choice.” They pulled out of the driveway and drove to the same parking lot from earlier. Tony got out of the car and went over the new gameplan with Carol. He nodded firmly and got back into the car. “Alright, we’re going to get ice cream because everyone is high strung. We’ll bring doughnuts or something back to reward the others for their good work.” 

They pulled into a small ice cream shop and ordered enough to keep the business afloat for a month without customers. As they sat at the picnic tables enjoying their well-deserved ice cream, they talked about theories on time travel and what all could happen. They got as much information as they could out of Five as they stuffed their faces. When they were done they stopped at a small doughnut called Griddy’s. 

By the time the doughnuts were done Rhodey called to let them know that they found all they could. They decided to meet up in a park just outside of town. 

“Platypus,” Tony cheered when Rhodey got out of the car. “So, good news, bad news, and news news, go.” 

They walked over to the picnic tables before Rhodey said anything. “Well, good news first. We are in the right place. His grandmother has a cabin not far from here that he could be in also. And, he didn’t get dusted so we have the right guy. Bad news, his mother got dusted so that’s probably the trigger. The rest of his family also got dusted. As for news news, he is an only child, very close to his mother. Same age as them, obviously. Goes to a college not far out of town, most likely so he could stay close to his family. And, from what we found, he doesn’t know he has powers.” 

They sat in silence for a moment, absorbing the information. “So, he is a ticking time bomb and doesn’t even know what’s going to happen?” Rhodey nodded and grabbed a doughnut. 

“Fuck,” Five yelled, startling them all. Steve opened his mouth to say something but Five’s glare shut him up. “Fucking timelines and alternate realities. You still have the stones right? We could use those to stop this and bring everyone back.” 

“We could,” Bruce said slowly. “But, we don’t have anyone that would be able to withstand the power of the stones and survive.” 

“Carol, Luther, Dad, me, Thor, Pepper, and probably Nebula. People with powers or who have been through shit would survive. Hell, even you would survive because the other guy wouldn’t allow you to die. We have enough people that they should be able to share the power of the stones.” 

“Five, that isn’t how that works. Someone would have to sacrifice their life to use the stones, it’s a price that we can’t be willing to pay.” 

“What do you mean someone would have to sacrifice their life?” Rhodey angled his body so he could study his best friend. 

“My calculations show that the stones carry enough power to kill any being if they hang on to them long enough. Humans don’t have enough power to wield all six and survive.” 

“Okay, but Thanos survived until Diego turned him into a living pin cushion,” Rhodey pointed out, followed by an angry “You did what?” from Steve. 

“Well, I may have had a teensy tiny dream where the stones came to me and told me that they were grateful we didn’t try to use their power yet,” Tony explained. 

Five used both hands to rub his temples. “Explain.” 

“Well, it was like the dream with Morgan. It was so real that there is no way it didn’t happen. Anyway, they all came up to me as these glowing humanoid figures with hoods and explained to me the dangers of using them. They explained that anyone that tried has died. Either from too much power or a vendetta against them. They then proceeded to show me a couple of different alternate realities. One where I didn’t adopt all of you stood out the most. 

“Thanos escaped off to another planet and atomized the stones. We sulked for five years until Ant-man came back and said he thinks he figured out time travel. We go back, find the stones, Bruce, or Professor Hulk, gets told that the stones need to be put back exactly when they came from. He wields the gauntlet that I made out of nanotech and brings back everyone that was dusted. A huge battle because 2014 Thanos discovers our plan. I get the gauntlet, snap, and I…” the rest of what Tony said was muttered. 

“What happened?” Steve asked rather forcefully. 

“I died. But the good news is, I dusted the enemy army. And saved all of your asses.” 

“Okay, so you don’t get the gauntlet. But, Bruce, or Professor Hulk? I don’t want to know. He gets the gauntlet and brings everyone back without dying right? So, why don’t we do that? As long as the stones aren’t being used to kill they don’t kill. That seems to be the theme here,” Natasha spoke. 

“Look, no one is using the stones for anything,” Tony said, anxiousness seeping into his voice. “We need to send them back out into space because right now we are painting a target on our backs with them all in one place. None of you were there. The only reason Brucey-bear survived was because he was already so pumped full of gamma radiation that a lesser man would have died. Hell, he is right now and this is before he turned into Smart Hulk.” 

The silence that followed was deafening. “Fine,” Five hissed out. “If you want to destroy our only chance at saving this planet then be my guest. I for one, don’t plan on sticking around to find out what happens when a bomb detonates and destroys the planet. If you need me I’ll be far away from here, working on a way to stop doomsday.” Five jumped away in a flash of blue. Tony sighed and buried his head in his hands. 

Rhodey rubbed his back comfortingly and leaned over to whisper in his ear. The others shared a look that spoke a thousand words. “Luther, Allison and I’ll go look for Five, with our luck he probably went to get drunk somewhere,” Diego excused himself and gestured toward his siblings to make sure they were following. 

“I should be getting back to space to help out the surviving planets,” Carol said. She was gone in a blast of light that left some of the others momentarily blinded. 

They sat there for a while longer, enjoying the peace that came with sitting in a wooded area. They finally decided to leave after Luther called saying they found Five. When they got to Five’s location Tony was displeased to see his oldest (?) son blackout drunk. Tony carried him to one of the cars and laid him out on the backseat. He then called a local motel and paid for the night, buying almost every available room. 

The next morning Five woke up with a monster hangover and an awful attitude. He stumbled out of bed and into the little kitchenette that the room provided. The first thing he saw was his father, the second was a piping hot cup of coffee. Through his liquor induced migraine, he could vaguely understand that his dad was pissed, and that’s putting it lightly. He made grabby hands at the coffee and chugged it when it was in his hands. 

“Slow down, you hellion. Here,” Tony held out his hand with half a pill, and Five gratefully accepted it. 

“Why is it only half?” 

“Technically you’re thirteen and these are made for supersoldiers. Don’t give me that they’re the only ones I have on me.” Tony held up his hands in defense and cracked a grin when Five’s lip twitched. 

“Thanks, dad. I’m under a lot of stress right now and it’s causing my brain to do stupid shit,” Five said. 

Tony sat beside him and rubbed his back soothingly. “It’s fine, kid,” he replied. He knows that is the closest Five has ever been to an apology so he doesn’t comment. They sat in silence for a few more moments before a knock sounded on the door. Tony stood up and walked over, opening it just enough for him to talk to whoever was on the other side. They kept their voices down so Five couldn’t overhear. 

Usually, he would be mad about that but considering the fact he was still nursing a headache, he couldn’t be happier. When Tony finally shut the door and walked back over to the bed Five noticed how tired the other man was. “Did you sleep at all?” 

Tony shook his head and flopped onto the bed. “I couldn’t.” They stayed like that for a while longer before Tony sat up with a groan. “We better be leaving, still gotta check out the cabin.” 

“You’re not driving,” Five commented after standing and stretching. 

“Brucey-bear is, I’ll be sleeping in the passenger seat. If you need me then you can wait ‘till I wake up.” 

They met the others down in the lobby and explained their plan. Tony fell asleep five minutes into the ride and slept for the entire hour-long drive to the cabin. When they got there they decided Tony needed his sleep so he stayed in the car. Bruce and Thor both stood behind Five as he knocked on the door. When no one answered he growled to himself and jumped inside the house. He came out empty-handed again. 

Five didn’t bother saying anything to them and jumped back into the car. The ride was silent back to the parking lot from the day before. They all piled out and rested on or near the car as they waited for the others. 

“This is becoming ridiculous,” Five ranted. “Every known location and he isn’t at a single one. There is no way he is in college right now because they’re all still recovering. This asshole is playing cat and mouse with us. It is driving me up a wall.” 

Rhodey put a comforting hand on Five’s shoulder and pulled the shorter man into his side. “We’ll find him, kid.” 

“I don’t think you are fully grasping the reality of the situation. I changed this because I came back to warn you all. Hell, it changed the moment Thanos arrived on Earth. I don’t know how to fix it and I don’t know how to stop it. We could try locating the other forty-three but we don’t have enough time to find them all. We may not be able to stop this.” 

Five tilted his head up and looked at his uncle’s side profile. Rhodey squeezed Five’s shoulder and rubbed his hand up and down. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Don’t worry. It may take a couple of days. Wait-” Rhodey pulled his arm away and snapped his fingers. “Charles Xavier’s school for mutants. Tones, don’t you have his number?” 

Tony nodded and pulled out his phone, quick to scroll through his contacts, and push the call button. “Hello? Yeah, I know I don’t call usually, at all actually,” Tony said after moments of waiting. “We need your help. Yep. We’ll be there in two days. Do you have a landing pad? Cool, we’ll be there in a day and a half then. Thanks so much, Professor.” 

Tony hung up the call and grinned at them all. Now it was time to journey back to the tower. When they got back the first thing Five did was a perimeter check, whether it was a habit or a bad feeling it was a good thing he did. There was a car sitting around the corner watching the tower and Five. He jumped back to the group and alerted them to the potential hostiles. 

Natasha and Steve went to check it out while the others split off into the groups to keep an eye out. Tony and Five went up to the penthouse and saw it was trashed. Tony held his hands out, both now covered with gauntlets, and Five snapped off the leg of a kitchen chair. 

“Jarvis, scan for hostiles,” Five ordered. Jarvis didn’t reply and both of their anxiety spiked. “Jarvis, buddy, if this is some joke it isn’t funny.” 

“Oh, it’s not a joke,” a woman spoke behind them. Five whirled around and faced someone in a dog masked. 

“Oh, goodie, you found me. Where’s your partner?” 

“Right here,” a man spoke. He walked out of the shadows wearing a pink bear mask. “You gave us quite the slip when you sent the tracker with a robot. It was really helpful when that woman told us all we needed to know.” 

“If you hurt a single hair on her head then I will burn you alive,” Tony threatened. 

The woman with the dog mask scoffed. “We didn’t need to. After we told her that we were friends with Five she was more than willing to tell us everything. You really are a pain in the ass, aren’t you? Using the name Hargreeves to keep us away from who you really are.” 

“You called yourself Five Hargreeves?” Tony turned slightly to face his son. 

“I panicked okay? They wanted to know who I was so I just said the first thing that came to mind. Reginald just so happened to have the perfect last name. They were all dumb enough to believe me too because of the timelines, they thought I was from the one where Reggie was our dear old dad. I just didn’t bother to correct them,” Five shrugged. Tony glowered but didn’t push the subject. He turned back to Bear Mask and scoffed.

“Those are god awful masks. Really ridiculous if you ask me, and I fly around in a metal suit.” 

Bear Mask raised a gun and pointed it at Tony’s chest. “I don’t need a reason to shoot you,” he warned. The elevator dinged and the three other kids walked into the room. Diego and Allison smirked while Luther looked tired of everything. 

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” 

Diego threw a knife and hit Bear Mask in the shoulder. Dog Mask pulled out a gun and started shooting at him. Diego bent the bullets away from him and into the walls behind him. Tony shot at Bear Mask but it was dodged easily. Five jumped away in a flash of blue and was on Dog Mask’s back before anyone could blink. 

He pulled out a cable from somewhere and started to choke her out. Bear Mask took their momentary distraction in stride. He fired the gun at Tony and cursed when the bullets were deflected by the nanotech. 

Tony fired again and singed the guy’s shoulder. He yelled out in pain and switched his shooting hand, emptying the clip into Luther. The room was suddenly stock still as they watched with bated breath. Luther looked down at his body and watched the blood seep through his now ruined clothes. Just as fast as the bullets were in, they were being pushed back out. 

Luther growled and lunged at the guy once all the bullets were free. He put Bear Mask into a chokehold and ripped off the helmet. It landed on the ground with a metallic thud. Dog Mask gasped under the cord digging into her throat and managed to throw Five off of her back. He pulled another gun and started to shoot at him.

He dodged the bullets like he’s been doing it all his life. In a flash, Five was gone and just as quick he was back with a butter knife. With quick movements, he stabbed Dog Mask in the thigh then right after in the neck. 

Bear Mask was gasping for air under Luther’s grasp but he didn’t let up. Luther laid the now unconscious body on the floor. 

Five looked the two assassins over before pulling a gun from the woman’s belt. Tony shot the gun with a repulsor and melted it. “No.” Five glared but didn’t grab another weapon. 

“They should have a briefcase somewhere around here,” he muttered as he rifled through the penthouse. He came back into the main room with a satisfied grin. “I found something we can use.” 

Tony scanned the house and went over all the codes to see if everything was fine. He sighed when he found what he was looking for. “Jarvis is gone,” he announced. The energized mood from taking down two train assassins dissipated. 

“What do you mean?” 

“He’s dead, kaput, not coming back, shredded into oblivion. Jarvis. Is. Gone.” 

“I’m going to kill them,” Allison muttered darkly. “Give me one of their guns.” 

“No, Allison, leave them alone. Where they’re going they’ll wish we killed them after we found this. They won’t ever be coming back,” Tony spoke. Allison shot him a look but nodded. “We need to get to the jet.” Tony shot a handcuff bead at them before walking off. 

They walked out to the landing pad boarded the plane without another word. Tony piloted the plane down to the ground to pick up the others then they were off. The entire flight Tony was absorbed in coding something new with minor input from Five. 

The plane landed in front of a mansion with incredible architecture. As soon as their group reached the door it was opened and they were greeted by an older man in a wheelchair. His eyes flitted along the group, resting a moment longer on Five. “Good morning, you’re here later than expected.” 

“Yeah, well, we hit a bit of a snag at the tower. Turns out Five is a wanted man,” Tony joked. The team glanced at him curiously but he just waved them off. “Anyway, we need your help. I’m sure you know the full story based on your abilities so for the sake of time I won’t repeat it.” 

“I try not to pry,” the professor countered easily. He wheeled his chair backward and let them all into the foyer. “But, if you would be so kind as to pull the memories to the front then I would be more than happy to have a look.” 

Tony nodded and closed his eyes. The others shared an uncomfortable glance before focussing back on the situation. The professor nodded gravely and led them through the mansion. Most of them, not having been in a mansion this big, were staring around in awe. Five, Allison, Diego, and Luther, in particular, were convinced it was a castle instead of a mansion. 

They continued walking down curving and twisting hallways until they came to a certain spot on the wall. The professor stopped in front of a panel and waited a moment before a door opened up and led to an elevator. He glanced at the group, hesitating a moment. 

“Could you all please wait here? I’m afraid the elevator isn’t big enough for everyone and it’ll only take a moment. Jean and Scott will be here in a moment to show you around the place,” the professor said. They nodded but Five hesitated. 

“I want to go with you. I need to be there to see what we’re dealing with,” Five spoke. The professor nodded and all three of them got into the elevator, doors closing moments after.

“How many times do I have to tell him that I’m not a welcoming committee?” They heard the voice hiss, definitely masculine. “I’m not even very welcoming considering the last person caused so much destruction.” Two figures rounded the corner and stopped in their tracks. Steve waved awkwardly at them. The guy straightened up and huffed a breath through his nose. “Alright. Alright. Alright,” he repeated, voice rising an octave after every word. Allison and Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You must be the people Professor Xavier told us about. He seemed to omit details though. I’m Jean Grey and he’s Scott Summers,” the woman introduced. 

“Based on your partner’s reaction you seem to already know us,” Natasha acknowledged. 

“Actually, we don’t know who those three are.” Scott pointed to the three siblings, earning eye rolls and scoffs from them. 

“The Umbrella Academy. We were all over the news when our identities came out a year and a half ago, pretty hard not to know unless you live under a rock,” Diego said. Allison elbowed him sharply and smiled an award-winning smile at the pair. 

“Don’t mind him, he’s still miffed about the Accords and their sudden changes. I’m Allison. He’s Luther and that’s Diego.” Allison pointed to each corresponding brother and smiled again. 

Scott seemed star-struck for a moment before he snapped out of it. “Right, well, follow us then.” 

They were given an all-inclusive tour of the mansion. There were multiple rooms used for teaching young mutants and even more used as dorms. They explained how the students that graduated and chose to stay were allowed to become teachers. They got to see half of the mansion before the siblings’ phones buzzed with a text. 

“Thanks for showing us around but it seems like our dad got what he needed,” Diego said. The group was led back to where the hidden elevator was and was met with a fuming Five. 

“There is no fucking way he just disappeared off the face of the Earth. He’s the whole reason this shit show happened,” he ranted. Tony frowned, leaning against the wall with one foot kicked behind himself. 

“I know. There is no way that this much could change from you coming back. The stones explained that things would be different but this is getting ridiculous.” 

“Perhaps the future has been altering itself from the moment he stepped into this time stream. From what I have been studying and learning is that time is liquid. It flows and intercepts itself in ways that we can only hope to imagine. He entered into a stream that turned into a river,” Professor Xavier said. 

Five and Tony nodded understandably while the others shared looks. “We’ll look into that more, Professor. Know that should you ever need help, the Avengers will always aid you.” 

The professor nodded and led them back to the foyer. “Same goes for you, Mister Stark.” 

They walked out of the mansion and boarded the plane once more. “For the record, I am never flying again,” Natasha said. 

“Aw, come on Romanoff. That’s being cruelly unfair. What if we need a pilot? We can’t ask Rogers, the last plane he flew he sank it,” Tony jested. 

“Oh come on Tony, can you blame me? Bucky was gone and there was no use for Captain America anymore. The only ones that missed me were Peggy and Howard, who by the way, was totally crushing on me. So be grateful I almost died because I could’ve been your daddy,” Steve replied. 

“Don’t ever call yourself my daddy again. Besides, you would’ve been a better father than Howard. Though you really do have a problem with your language. No father of mine would have a mouth that foul.” 

“Oh, bullshit. I’ve heard Howard cussing out his machines like it would make them work better if he said ‘fucking piece of shit’ enough times.” 

“Better aimed at them than at me,” Tony pointed out darkly. 

“That is true. Did I ever tell you guys about the day Bucky and I met?” Steve said, tactfully changing the subject. 

“I don’t think so,” Bruce said. 

“Well, it was a cold October day I believe and I was getting the ever-loving shit kicked out of me. I was around eight at the time and some asshole made a comment about my mother raising me without a father. I think they were three years older than me. Anyway, Bucky hears me yelling at them, totally not egging them on, and comes running. Even though he was nine he still managed to get rid of them. Pretty sure yelling that his father was a trained Marine and trained him the same was what did it.  So, I’m laying on the ground, bloody and still not quite done with them when he comes into my vision. The sun was shining just above him and he looked like an angel sent straight from heaven. My eight-year-old asthmatic self didn’t know what he wanted from me so I swung at him. He caught my fist and glared at me. It wasn’t a great first impression, I’ll admit. But, we’ve been inseparable since,” Steve reminisced. 

“Gay,” Natasha cheered. Steve blushed darkly and dipped his head. 

“Ssh,” Allison hushed playfully. “We don’t want to give away his secret just yet.” 

“So wait. You said Howard had a crush on you, did you ever do the hanky panky?” 

“Just say sex, Tony,” Rhodey sighed. 

“Nope, not if it involves Hardass Stark. So, did you?” 

“No, Tony we didn’t.” 

“Dammit, but he said he did it with someone. Holy fucking christ on a waffle and everything holy, he slept with Barnes,” Tony shouted. He launched himself out of his seat and paced the cabin floor, shivering as if bugs were crawling up his arms. “Fuck, Barnes could have been my daddy.” 

“Watch it,” Steve growled. 

“Fine, fine, but I’m not the one that slept with him. Dear old dad took care of that one for me. Ugh, do you think he would have been my father if it was legal back then? God, that would be so weird. My dad would be a murderer, not that he already isn’t but my other dad would too. God, this is so confusing. Pops was definitely bi with how much he talked about you, pretty sure my mom yelled at him to just marry you.” 

By the time his rant was over everyone was laughing hysterically. “Okay, well if Bucky would have been our grandpa, would that make Steve his side hoe? Because I can totally see that happening and Howard being all for it,” Five said. 

“Fuck yeah, I’ll take three dads any day. That means a bigger Christmas and hopefully, someone to love me,” Tony cheered. He jumped over the back of his chair and crouched on the seat. “But, I can’t really see Howard as being the type to share. He would totally be jealous of what you and Barnes have, and with my shitty ass luck he would be the one to get custody.” 

“Don’t worry, Tony. Buck and I would totally fight him for custody for you,” Steve said sympathetically. 

“Does that mean I have to call you dad? Because that is not happening. I don’t care how many Christmas presents I get,” Tony protested. 

The rest of the ride was filled with joking and laughter. When the plane landed they all crashed on the common room floor, only having enough energy to grab blankets and pillows. The next morning they woke up sore and stiff. Tony was up before everyone else and making breakfast. He was chattering happily to someone over the phone. 

Allison was the first to walk in, when she did she immediately inhaled the sent of pancakes. “I didn’t know you could cook,” she commented. 

“Yeah, I learned years ago when you all were still babies. Who do you think made that amazing Mexican food? Grace helped to make sure I didn’t burn down the kitchen but that was it,” Tony said, flipping another pancake onto the stack beside him. He said a quick goodbye to whoever was on the other line and hung up. 

The others shuffled in after, all grabbing plates and serving themselves. Tony started brewing a pot of coffee as soon as he woke up so it was fresh for them. They idly chatted while they ate and when they were done they helped clean up the mess. 

Tony, Five, and Bruce slipped off to the lab to work on something none of the others could ever hope to comprehend. They settled into the living room and decided to relax for a while. Steve and Luther gave up halfway through the second moving and headed down to the training room to spar. Natasha headed down not long after to make sure they didn’t kill each other. 

Happy dropped Pepper and Morgan off mid-afternoon and decided to stick around a little longer. He said he had to leave after lunch, something about a date of some sort. The three scientists walked into the room and saw a super-soldier reduced to giggles, a trained assassin laying on her stomach, an alien watching the baby in awe, and the three siblings crawling on the floor beside their baby sister. Rocket and Rhodey were sitting on the couch but there was no mistaking the small smiles on their faces. 

“What’s going on here?” Bruce asked. He laid down beside Natasha and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders. Tony walked over to Pepper and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Five scoffed at both of them and settled on the floor next to Morgan. 

“Supervised tummy time,” Steve replied. 

“Oh, good, I was looking for more footage to post online,” Tony commented. “We made a breakthrough.” 

“You found Harold?” Natasha asked, not lifting her head from the baby. 

“No, we gave up on that. We figured out time travel. The briefcase that the people from yesterday can transport both the body and the mind to whatever time you want. We wanted to see if we could find a way to project our consciousness back into our previous bodies without disrupting the timeline and stressing Five too much. I think we figured out how to do that,” Tony explained. 

“So what’s the plan?” Steve sobered up quickly and sat at his full height. 

“Well, Five wanted everyone to have their conscience projected back but I pointed out that you were still a Capsicle when we wanted to go back to. So, we settled on us, Allison, Luther, Diego, and possibly Natasha and Bruce if they wanted. If we did send them back, though, they would have to keep in contact with us in secret. Natasha would have to hide it from Shield and wherever she was in ‘02.” 

“I’m not going back,” Natasha said, finality seeping into her voice. 

“Okay, so that leaves Brucie-bear.” 

“I’m not either,” Bruce said nervously. “I just got full control of the big guy and I don’t want to be thrown back in a time where I was living in fear.” 

“Makes sense. Rhodey, Pep, any wise words you would like to add?” 

Pepper sighed and looked to Rhodey for help. “If this is the only way to save the world then do it. But why can’t Jim or I go back?” 

“Because it would disturb the timeline too greatly. You and Tony would have the same relationship, resulting in Morgan being born earlier than she should be. Uncle Jim would work to change things and react differently when he sees Klaus, Vanya, and Ben again. He’ll probably hug them or cry, something to deal with emotions that will only muck up the timeline,” Five explained in a clipped tone. 

“Won’t Diego, Luther, and Allison react the same way?” 

“That’s a calculated risk that can be excused with prepubescent hormones. We’ll be heading back to the same time I disappear so that there will be no change and I won’t risk anything terrible happening to me. Well, more terrible than going through puberty twice.” 

Tony nodded and walked over toward the main part of the group. “We’ll need to link up. I’ll tell you all the equations and you’ll need to remember the answers. There’s four of them.” 

The siblings stood and shuffled toward the center of the room. Tony grabbed the briefcase from the floor and held it at arm’s length. He told them the answers in the order they needed them before having them grab each other’s hands and hold on to him. He flipped the latches and in a flash of blue, they were gone. The timeline they just left crumbled to dust in their wake.


	14. 2002 (again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They return to the past and make minor changes.

Tony, Five, Allison, Luther, and Diego suddenly froze when they were shoved back into their younger bodies. Tony and Five’s conversation about time travel halted and Ben sent Allison a questioning look. Luther stopped mid-step and was hit in the shoulder by a flying knife that Diego forgot he threw. 

“You hit me,” Luther screeched. And just like that, the momentary readjustment was finished. “My arm is bleeding, asshole.” 

“Language,” Diego said, voice mockingly deep. They stared at each other before doubling over in laughter. 

“Allison? Are you okay?” Ben sounded hesitant, truly he should have been. They were playing hot hands when Allison’s whole body went rigid and she froze. She used his hesitation against him and slapped the back of his hands. 

“Gotcha,” she cheered. Ben cursed himself and they continued playing. 

Tony and Five stared at each other. They glanced around the room before making eye contact. “If you really want to time travel then try something small, like seconds. Focus on the time flowing around you and work on going up the stream,” Tony advised. 

“I think I’ll wait until I’m a little older I think,” Five replied. “I want to have a better grasp of my powers before I try something like that.” 

“That’s probably for the best,” he agreed. “Whenever you want to try it, tell me I’ll help you figure it out.” 

Five’s lips twitched into a vague smile. “Sir, it appears that Ghost boy lit his room on fire again.” 

“I didn’t miss that,” Tony muttered, walking past Five to put out the fire. Five leaned back against the counter and looked out over the chaos that was his family. He checked the food and kept an eye on it until Tony came back. 

He teleported the plates to the table and dished out the food once it was done. Tony came back with Klaus close behind, grinning like the maniac that he is. “The fire wasn’t that bad, just the dresser.” 

“Klaus, you’re a pyromaniac. Please quit lighting things on fire. How the hell did you do it anyway?” 

“Oh, just found a battery and few wires, bada bing bada boom there was fire, and it was glorious.” 

“Klaus,” Tony hissed. He rounded on his son but couldn’t help the smile forming. “Next time you want to light something on fire, tell me so that I can make sure you do it safely.” 

“That’s bad parenting,” Klaus pointed out. He skipped over to the table and jumped into Ben’s lap. 

“Get off of me, you cow.” Ben shoved Klaus to the floor. Klaus yelped and landed hard on his butt. 

“That hurt,” he whined. Ben stuck his tongue out at his brother and leaned back in his chair. 

“You deserved it, asshole.” 

“What have I said about namecalling?” Tony admonished. 

“I’m not apologizing to him, he really did deserve it,” Ben said. 

“I’m not saying that it isn’t true,” Tony replied, much to Klaus’s displeasure. “But, you shouldn’t be calling them names, no matter how much they may deserve it.” 

“How rude,” Klaus muttered as he picked himself up from the floor. He pulled out the chair beside Ben and sat down. “Ooh~ this looks amazing. Luther, Diego, get in here I’m hungry,” he called out. 

Both boys entered the room looking slightly disheveled and clutching their stomachs. Vanya came in a moment later after Jarvis must have told her. “I have an announcement,” Tony said halfway through dinner. When everyone looked up at him he continued, “I will be discussing with the board the damage of discontinuing to manufacture weapons. And I plan on making Pepper my CEO sometime in the future.” 

All the clinking of forks hitting the china stopped. “You’re making her CEO? How do you know she won’t run the company into the ground? Besides, not many P.A.s become CEO, won’t people think she slept her way there with your reputation?” Five asked. 

“Yes. Because I do. And probably, but that will be worked out. Anything else?” Tony answered in quick succession. 

“Don’t you think that’s all a bit extreme?” 

Klaus’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Why the third degree, Five-O?” 

“I just want what’s best for Stark Industries, after all, I plan to inherit it later on,” Five replied. 

“Good plan. But, Pepper will make a great CEO, besides she was the only one with the balls to call me out on my bullshit. It probably won’t be for a few more years but I figured I’d tell you all now to see what you think.” 

“Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Klaus announced. “Women should be given roles of empowerment, topple the patriarchy I say.” 

The siblings cheered and Tony chuckled and shook his head. “I’m all for toppling the patriarchy but don’t give Pepper any ideas, she just might take over the world with her take no shit attitude.” 

They all laughed and finished their food. “So, I know you care about your employees,” Allison started. Tony looked up from the dishes he was washing to study his daughter. “Are the women being paid the same as the men?” 

Tony scoffed. “Of course they are. They’re scientists and they all need the same income. The women have paid maternity leave and are allowed time off monthly if they need it. I learned with you and Vanya the pain that happens during that time. Oh shit, right I need to change the last one actually, that happened later. Anyway, what’s up?” 

“Well, the conversation during lunch just got me thinking. I still don’t want the company, don’t get me wrong, I just wanted to make sure that they’re all treated with respect since you...changed.” 

Tony smiled. “Yeah, they were treated fairly since the moment I adopted all of you. You guys changed me,” he spoke fondly. Allison smiled and walked out of the room. 

They all met in the training room later that evening. 

Ben was the first to go, showing his improvement in how well he could control the Eldritch creatures. 

Five was next, jumping from place to place and teasing the others. 

Klaus was next, he made Edwin Jarvis corporeal and if Tony had to step out for a moment, that’s nobody’s business but his. 

Luther tested the limits of his strength, so far he is able to lift eight hundred pounds. Tony was extremely proud but made sure to warn him not to push himself too far. 

Diego curved his knives the whole way around the room before hitting the dummy right in the forehead. 

Allison was second to last. She wasn’t able to use her rumor because of the protocols set in place but she did excel in hand to hand. 

Vanya was last but definitely not least. She played her violin and caused pieces of the floor to lift up and be put back into place like nothing happened. 

Tony cheered for them from the observation deck and explained over the intercom some things they could change to make it easier for them. He told Allison to focus on her elbows and knees, easier to take an opponent out that way. 

He suggested that Luther try to eat more proteins to build up muscle mass. 

He told Klaus that he would design pills to get rid of the screamers and work to strengthen his powers to conjure. 

He asked Vanya if she had any interest in any other instruments and suggested that it might be easier with something smaller and more portable. 

He told Diego he would work on more lightweight and balanced knives for future use.

Tony suggested herbal tea and meditation for Ben. He also said that if the creatures were allowed to do more they may learn faster. 

Five was a different matter altogether. He suggested new calculations and other things to help with his powers. There wasn’t much he could say because he didn’t fully understand Five’s powers. 

The next morning during breakfast Tony got a call from Fury. He groaned and put the phone on speaker after answering. “What can I help you with today Director?” 

_ “Shield needs your help, Stark.”  _

“With what might I ask? Or is this some top-secret government thing that I get left out of the loop on?” 

_ “Someone hacked into Shield, Stark and we need you to track them. They could be a threat to national security.”  _

Tony chuckled harshly. “Yeah, that was me. You had information that you shouldn’t have and I needed it to change.” 

_ “Stark, you can’t do that.”  _

“Fury, I will do whatever the hell I have to if it protects my kids. I don’t care if I become an enemy to the US. Now, is that all?” 

_ “No, Stark, it isn’t. You are a liability-”  _

“How was your little pet project with Danvers?” Tony interrupted. The siblings exchanged nervous glances and were ready to excuse themselves. “See, Fury. You did whatever you could for someone you barely knew. It may have all been planned but you still did it. Now, imagine raising seven of her. See, you become protective Fury, you would kill to keep them safe, do anything in your power to make sure nothing happened to them.” 

The phone was silent for a full minute.  _ “Fine, Stark. But we better not have to take you out, I would hate for them to become orphans.”  _

Tony glanced up and noticed his kid’s murderous glares directed at the phone. “Yeah, you can try, just don’t get blood on the hardwood floors, it stains. Really though, I would be more concerned about your own safety. My kids don’t take too nicely to threats like that.” 

_ “I don’t have anything to worry about, Stark, it’s you who should be concerned.”  _

Tony snorted and ignored Fury yelling at him over the phone. “Bye Fury. Talk to you never.” He hung up the phone without waiting for a response. “Grace, babygirl, can you come here a moment?” 

Grace walked into the room and stood beside Tony with her wrists crossed in front of her. “What is it, Mister Stark?” 

“Please, Gracie, just call me Tony. Anyway, I know you and Jarvis have been getting closer lately and I can’t even begin to imagine how lonely you are without someone like you. How would you feel if I built him a body?” 

She seemed shocked. Her mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. “Yo-you want to what?” 

“I want you to be happy, Grace. You can only be happy if there is someone that is like you. So, how would you feel if I created Jarvis an android body? It would take a couple of months to get the design just right and I’ll need a lot of input from both of you, but would you be okay with it?” 

“Mister Stark, if you are going to create a body for him then shouldn’t it be his choice on whether or not he does get the body?” Grace looked seriously concerned when she spoke. 

“I asked him last night before I went to sleep. He said he was fine either way,” Tony said, shrugging and taking a bite of food. 

“Well, will I have some time to think about it?” 

“Of course you can, you’re your own being and able to make any decision you want,” Tony said softly. Grace’s face lit up with a smile and she leaned down to hug Tony. 

“Thank you, Mister Stark.” 

“Anything for you, Gracie.” Grace smiled again before walking into another room. Tony went back to eating not before noticing his children’s gobsmacked looks. “What?” 

“Nothing. Nothing,” Allison replied, a hint of a smile gracing her features. When breakfast was over Tony pulled Five, Ben, and Grace down to the lab. The others exchanged looks before piling into the living room to binge-watch movies. 

They were watching Mulan, Klaus’s face lighting up when she cut her hair. “Allison, can I raid your room real quick?” Allison nodded slowly, not sure what he wanted. He was gone for half an hour before returning, scrunchies in his short hair and one of Allison’s black skirts on. “Tadaa.” He spun around for them and let the skirt twirl around him. 

Allison chuckled and stood up. She grabbed the scrunchies from his hair, much to his dismay, and pulled them out. He whined until she pulled a little tuft of his hair up into a small ponytail. “There.” Klaus reached up to his hair and felt the little ponytail. He squealed and hugged Allison tightly. 

“Oh, can you show me how to put on makeup?” 

“Yeah, of course. Vanya, do you wanna join us?” 

“Yeah.” 

The three of them walked off to Allison’s room and ignored the groaning behind them. Luther and Diego shared a look and went back to their movie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on it being this long in the beginning but shit happens. I truly didn't know where the last two chapters were going until it happened. I'm thinking about keeping Vision out of this timeline and having Jarvis with his own body but I'm not sure yet. I might have Jarvis and Vision but Vision won't be a part of Jarvis at all. If anyone was confused about it before Tony copied Jarvis's code to use for Vision, therefore they would act similarly and respond the same but Jarvis was still alive.


	15. 2003-2009

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The six years from when Five disappeared, now staring everyone's favorite disappearing time traveler Five Stark. Tony also discovers another secret that Obadiah hid from him and couldn't be happier. 
> 
> TW: Minor homophobic language and bullying mentions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I don't know anything about legal shit so if anythings wrong I'm sorry :/

**2003**

Klaus skipped into the mansion and shoved a paper onto the table in front of Tony. “Talent show,” was the only thing he said when Tony questioned him. After reading the paper over he decided it couldn’t hurt if they wanted to be part of it. Sure it would be unfair to other kids but he was also Tony Stark and their parent so the bar for unfairness has been raised drastically. Luther and Diego came in moments after Klaus did and set their own papers onto the table. 

“Can we join? Our school has nothing fun to do,” Luther whined. Diego elbowed him but looked up at Tony with big eyes. 

“I don’t see why not. Just be careful and don’t use too much of your powers to give yourselves away,” he warned. They cheered and high-fived. Tony found a pen and quickly filled out the forms for them to return to school the next day. “What do you two plan on doing?”

“A joint act actually,” Diego replied. Tony’s eyes widened in shock. “Luther and I plan on winning. That will only happen if we combine our strengths and work together. The reward is a trophy and a trip to a summer camp. Luther wants to go because astronauts will be there and I want to go because the police academy will be there. They’re even bringing the K-9 units.” Diego was practically vibrating with excitement. 

Tony finished the papers and handed them back but not before ruffling their hair playfully. “Alright, knuckleheads, go play.” 

They cheered and ran off, talking in short quick sentences to each other. Vanya, Klaus, and Allison walked into the living room a moment later and sat on the sofa opposite Tony. They stared him down with the most serious expressions they could muster. 

“We have come to a unanimous decision,” Klaus announced. Tony schooled his features into the typical Stark mask and he eyed his children with interest. “We will be joining the talent show. Only to prove that I am better than all of the assholes that make fun of my skirt.” 

“Revenge? Cool. What do you plan on doing?” 

“Vanya was going to play a song on her violin and Klaus and I was going to sing to it. Then we got to brainstorming and decided that that wasn’t enough. Vanya will still play her song and I will still sing, but Klaus will perform in a skirt and full drag makeup. He will also be singing in a different language just to show them.” 

“That sounds good,” Tony let his excitement take over and smiled largely. “Let me fill out your papers. By the way, you’ll be going against Luther and Diego.” 

“We don’t need to win,” Klaus huffed indignantly. “We just need to show them up. Those bigoted assholes think they’re better than me because they’re confined to the gender norms. The heteronormative bullshit that is this time period. I should become president one day. I will be the first nonbinary president and I’ll kick all of their asses.” 

Tony raised an amused eyebrow and looked up from his writing. “Is that so?” 

“Yes, it is so. I will destroy the heteronormative with Vanya by my side, Allison can be our sidekick and Ben is the sidekick’s sidekick,” Klaus spoke. Tony snorted when Allison turned to glare at her sibling. 

“Okay. You still use he/him pronouns, right?” Klaus nodded strongly and looked like he was waiting for Tony to challenge him. Tony just smiled at him and finished the papers. “Alright, kiddos, the papers are filled out, just turn them in tomorrow.” 

The talent show was three weeks from then. Five and Ben didn’t want to be part of it because according to Klaus they were “boring losers that hated fun.” Tony sat in the audience with Five and Ben. A teacher walked onto the stage with a bright smile and introduced everyone before the show started. She also decided to point out Tony in the audience and said that she was grateful he chose their school for his kids. 

The first person was someone signing. The second was someone playing the piano. The third was a magic act. The pattern continued on like this until Allison, Klaus, and Vanya stepped onto the stage. Muttering broke out over the audience when they noticed Klaus was wearing a ballroom gown. The three of them cheered for them loudly, causing a blush to rise on Vaya’s and Klaus’s face. 

Allison was also wearing a dress but it was Vanya that stood out. She was wearing a black suit, one Tony didn’t even know she owned. Vanya stood off to the side with her violin before starting to play a slow melody that they spent the week writing. Allison and Klaus curtsied to each other before grabbing hold and staring to waltz. The song sped up and their dance slowly morphed into a salsa, Allison signing along. Klaus joined in halfway through, singing words in German and occasionally in Russian. The tempo slowed back down to a waltz before stopping completely. They all bowed to the audience before walking off the stage. 

The acts continued until there was only one left: Luther and Diego’s. Luther set up the stage, rolling barrels in from behind the curtain. Muttering broke out about how strong Luther was. Diego stood in the center of the stage and faced the crowd. 

“Good morning, parents and fellow students,” he announced. Tony couldn’t stop the small smile that formed on his face. “Today Luther will be performing incredible feats of strength that some may wonder if he is even human, don’t worry, I wonder too. We had him tested I believe and he is ninety-five percent human, the other five percent is not school appropriate.” 

The crowd chuckled at his joke and Tony noticed the way Diego seemed to sag slightly. “I will be performing something that only a few can wish to achieve.” 

Luther picked up one of the barrels and hefted it over his shoulders. He nodded at Diego, who had a deck of cards, and picked up the other. He held the barrels so that they sat with the bottoms resting on his shoulders and smirked. 

Diego flicked the box for the cards open in a quick movement and threw one fluidly. It hit the side of the barrel and embedded itself. He threw another and it landed on top of the other barrel. Diego set the cards down and picked up small bead-like things. Luther readjusted the barrels and began to juggle them. 

Muttering broke out over the crowd and Five cackled like a mad man. 

Diego threw the marbles so quickly that if Tony was anyone else he would have wondered if they hit. When Luther set the barrels back on the ground blue words were spelled out on the barrels. They both read “Stark” on the side and Tony felt his chest swell with pride. Applause broke out over the crowd and Diego and Luther bowed before walking off the stage again. 

The winners were Luther and Diego and they spent the next three weeks having the time of their lives. When they returned they hugged Tony before telling about their entire trip. 

**2004**

Klaus ran into the kitchen after returning from school with a black eye and swollen lip but grinning triumphantly. Tony turned around just in time to catch sight of his face. “What the hell happened?” 

Klaus’s grin widened, wincing slightly when pain flared from his cut. “You should see the other guy.” He rifled through the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen peas, holding it up to his eye and sitting at the table. “Some kid was being an asshole and I may have egged him on.” 

“What was he saying?” 

“Just the usual heteronormative bullshit and calling me a fag. He’s slightly older than me I think, I wasn’t really paying attention. Anyway, when he started calling me names I told him that that wasn’t what his brother was saying last night. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy. He shoved me and was being an all-around douche bag when an angel came to save me. Dad, I know I say this about a lot of people, but he’s perfect. The guy that saved me, not the douche canoe that was bullying me.” 

Tony smiled faintly and tried desperately to ignore the nagging in the back of his mind telling him to figure out who hit Klaus. “Really?” He rifled through the cabinet above the fridge and emerged victoriously with a first aid kit. 

“Yeah, his name is Dave. I think I’m in love,” Klaus said seriously. This time Tony did smile as he dabbed at Klaus’s lip. “He was perfect. He shoved the other kid off of me before turning to help me up. I swear on my mother’s life when I tell you that I stopped breathing when I saw his eyes. They were the prettiest shade of blue that I have ever seen. They were like if sapphires and aquamarine had a baby. 

“He was really nice too. He helped me up and asked if I was okay. I tried to keep it together, I swear, but I’m pretty sure I blushed when he spoke. Dad, he was absolutely amazing and I am definitely in love.” Klaus sighed dramatically but winced when Tony moved the peas from his eye. 

“You do sound like a love-struck teenager,” he commented. Klaus stuck his tongue out at Tony earning a chuckle from the older man. 

“I can’t help it. Imagine Pepper saving you from assholes, we both know she would, and having the sun-facing just right. Now imagine looking deep into her eyes as she pulls you up from your ass and making sure you’re okay.” 

“Pepper wouldn’t do that,” Tony pointed out. “She would hunt down whoever it was and probably kill them. Then roll her eyes at me when she comes back and I’m still laying on the ground. Then she would help me up, ask if I was okay, then punch me because I worried her.” 

“True, but it would still be magical. I can hear wedding bells every time I think of him.” Klaus sighed wistfully then glared off to his right. “Shut up, Howard I don’t want to hear your comments.” 

Tony’s brows creased together and he gave his son a once over. “Howard. As in Howard Stark?” He knew Klaus could see him from the timeline he just came from but he was really hoping it wasn’t the same person. 

“Yeah, he is really an asshole. He keeps yelling at me and saying derogative things. He’s a puta is what he is. Always telling me that real men don’t wear skirts and don’t love other men. Please. Like he would know anything about being a real man. As if he didn’t simp for Captain America.” He glared again at his right before grinning triumphantly. “He just grumbled that anyone would have, no only bisexuals, pansexuals, and gays. Straights just would have acknowledged that he was the epitome of his gender and probably hate him because he looked better than them. Unless they were women, then they totally would’ve simped for him.” 

Tony sighed disdainfully at his father’s antics. “Would you be able to make him corporeal for a moment? I have something I want to tell him face to face.” 

“I can try.” Klaus clenched his fist and blue light emitted from them. The next moment Howard was standing beside him in all his glory. 

“You have to tell him that this isn’t-” Howard started but was cut off by Tony slapping him. Klaus cheered quietly and Howard’s form wavered before solidifying again. 

“No, listen to me. I have spent years mourning a man that was incapable of love. I don’t care what you have to say anymore, leave him alone. The only thing Klaus has ever done was to be born with the hell that is being able to see you every day. And even that wasn’t his fault. I’m not listening to you heckle him because you don’t like his life choices, you can’t treat him like you treated me. He has nothing to live up to and no one will be telling him otherwise. You don’t get to tell him what to do, you’re opinions stopped counting when you stopped breathing. I stopped respecting when you brushed me aside.” 

Howard started to protest but Klaus’s control slipped and he faded away. Klaus sagged onto his chair and rested his head on his arms. “He’s quiet now,” he mumbled sleepily. 

Tony leaned down and kissed the back of his head. “Go take a nap, I’ll work on something so he can’t bother you anymore.” 

Klaus looked up gratefully and pulled him into a quick hug before running out of the room. 

**2005**

It was around this time in the last timeline that the kids came to him with an idea, however, this time it was his idea. He told them that he has been working on something for the past few years and showed them the prototype suits. He started with the Mark I Iron man suit. It was just as high tech as the Mark XV. 

When he showed then the suits he created them he told them that it would be fine if they didn’t even want to use them. They stared at him as if he grew another head. 

**2006**

During their seventeenth birthday, they meet Vanya’s girlfriend, a souther woman by the name of Sissy, they meet Allison’s boyfriend, another actor by the name of Patrick, and Five’s friend Kenny. 

It was quite eventful with yelling and shouting. Five claimed he was better than them all and proceeded to pelt them with water balloons. Diego threw a knife and nicked Five’s ear, got yelled at, and proceeded to do it yet again. Vanya and Klaus dragged their significant others away from the fight before anything terrible happened to them. 

It was around eight in the evening, the party had settled down and almost everyone went home except for Dave, Sissy, Patrick, and Kenny who were staying for a sleepover, when there was a knock on the door. 

Klaus was closest so he decided to be polite and open it. “Bonjour,” he greeted. The woman inclined her head and studied him for a moment. “Is there something you need, Miss…” 

“Thomas and yes, I’m looking for Mister Tony Stark. There is a pressing matter that he needs to attend to almost immediately,” she spoke, an air of professionalism oozing from her pores. 

“Well, he is currently cleaning up silly string, I think. What’s wrong?” 

“I’m with social services. It seems like he has an illegitimate child that he has been informed of some years back but has neglected to come forward. I’m here because Peter Parker’s parents suffered from an unfortunate accident and Mister Stark was labeled as the father. He is currently staying with his aunt and uncle but by policy, someone had to be sent to inform the father of the situation.” 

Klaus took a moment to absorb the information. “He never got a call about a child. How old is the kid anyway?” 

“He’s four. His offices were called but I believe the record says that it was handled by,” she opened the folder in her arms and looked at the papers, “Obadiah Stane. I would really appreciate it if I could talk to him and work out the details.” 

“Yeah, please come in.” Klaus stepped to the side and gestured for the woman to come in. “Miss Thomas was it?” 

“Yes,” she spoke, inclining her head slightly. 

“Wait here for a moment and I’ll be right back.” Klaus grinned at her sauntered off through the house to find where his dad was. Tony was indeed cleaning up silly string with the help of Dum-E and U. Dum-E and U were throwing it at each other and beeping happily every time Tony groaned. 

“What’s up?” 

“Social services say you have a kid, biological that is. When did this happen? The woman said the call was handled by Obadiah but shouldn’t you have known?” 

Tony swore and dropped the dustpan on the floor. “That bastard,” he muttered as he walked past Klaus. Klaus turned quickly and followed close behind him. When Tony stepped into the foyer he saw the woman Klaus mentioned. “Hello, my son said you needed to speak to me?” 

“Yes, it appears that you fathered a child named Peter Parker. When lawyers informed your offices the call was handled by Mister Stane. He told them that he would tell you and you didn’t want custody. But, I regret to inform you that his parents have just recently passed and it’s protocol to inform the biological parents of his living arrangments.” 

“Okay, let’s go talk in the living room so you don’t have to stand in those heals.” Tony led them both to the living room where the others were still situated on the couches. 

Dave looked up and smiled at Klaus. “What took you so long?” His smile faded when he noticed the professional-looking woman. He opened his arms wide and Klaus gratefully sunk into his embrace. 

“That’s Miss Thomas, she works with social services. Luther, you’re no longer the youngest,” Klaus announced, voice laced with carefully hidden stress and concern. 

Tony and Miss Thomas sat on the armchairs opposite the couch. She placed her file on the coffee table and turned slightly to face Tony better. 

“Miss Thomas I have to say that I didn’t know that I had another kid. It seems like Obie didn’t tell me,” he all but growled. 

Miss Thomas’s face morphed into a frown. “He told our offices that you didn’t want custody, saying that you didn’t want anything to do with the child. After that, we were hesitant to reach out to you but as I said, it’s protocol to inform the parents of any custody changes.” 

“Would you be able to set up a meeting with Peter and his aunt and uncle? I really didn’t know about him until now, but to be truthful I should’ve figured out that he was hiding something.” 

They talked the details over more and set up a meeting for three weeks. The mansion was buzzing with excitement for those three weeks. When the time finally came everyone made sure to have their schedules cleared. 

They planned on having Pepper and Tony meeting with them first to get a read on the kid. Jarvis would inform the others if he deemed it possible for them all to meet that day without overwhelming him. 

There was a nervous knock on the door causing Tony to all but run to open it. “Hello. You must be May and Ben Parker. It is so nice to meet you.” His eyes fell onto Peter who shyly buried his head into his aunt’s neck. “And you must be Peter, I have heard so much about you.” 

Peter moved his head and stared up at Tony with his big brown eyes. “Really?” 

“Well of course. How could I not hear about you? You are a genius and I make sure to know all of the geniuses, need to be aware of the competition,” Tony nodded his head seriously and earned a small giggle from the kid. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not nearly as smart as you,” Peter spoke. May and Ben shared knowing looks before focussing back on their nephew. 

Tony scoffed and moved away from the door to let them all in. “Not as smart as me, listen to him. I heard that you can solve problems that only six-year-olds can, that’s pretty impressive. When I was your age- which was when dinosaurs roamed but, shh, don’t tell anyone- I could only solve five-year-old problems.” 

“Woah,” Peter gasped. Tony smiled and glanced up at May and Ben’s smiling faces. 

“Let me tell you what, I have some people that would really love to meet you. How would you feel about meeting-” he leaned in to whisper into Peter’s ear and when he pulled away Peter’s smile widened considerably. 

“Yeah,” he cheered. 

“Would you mind if he hangs out with my kids while we talk?” Tony looked up to May and Ben for confirmation. Both of his guardians nodded with huge grins. May set Peter down on the ground and Allison walked in a moment later. Peper squealed and grabbed her extended hand, babbling as they walked. 

“Mister Stark, I hope it isn’t too much to ask but my wife and I aren’t really ready for kids and we don’t know the first thing about raising him,” Ben said apologetically. “We were wondering if you would be able to raise him.” 

“Of course, yeah. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve always wanted a big family when I was younger and I guess it just took a while for it to happen. Both of you would still be allowed to visit any time you want and he will be able to spend weekends and holidays with you if he wants,” Tony said. 

“It’s fine really, we weren’t expecting to be able to continue seeing him but it was a risk we were willing to take. You really don’t have to give us partial custody.” 

Tony scoffed and waved away her words with a look of disdain. “Don’t worry about it, Missis Parker. I would never dream of taking your nephew away from you. Even when I adopted my kids I offered their mothers partial custody.” 

They nodded and smiled at him. “Thank you so much. It has been a tough few weeks for us and your consideration means a lot,” May spoke. 

Tony led them out of the foyer and into the living room where Pepper was sitting with papers on the coffee table. “It’s nothing. This is my beautiful girlfriend and CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts.” 

They stuck out their hands for Pepper to shake before sitting down. “It is wonderful to meet you, Miss Potts. We’ve seen your children on the news and they seem like sweethearts.” 

“Actually, they aren’t my children,” Pepper spoke up. “Grace is their mother, I’m more of a stepmother. And please, you should be thanking Tony and Grace. They raised them to be what they are.” 

The other couple looked surprised. “Oh, I’m sorry for assuming then. I know this probably isn’t any of our business but did you and Grace split up or something?” 

“It’s fine. Grace is an android I made when they were younger. She was created with the thought of one of their old maids in mind. She has evolving code and is hooked to a wireless server to keep her up to date. Would you like to meet her?” 

“If that’s alright,” May said. 

“Of course it is. Grace is going to be a big part of Peter’s life and I feel that it’s only fair that you guys know her,” Tony explained. He pulled out a piece of what looked to be glass and tapped away on it. Moments later Grace and Jarvis walked into the room. “Grace, honey, this is May and Ben Parker, they’re Peter’s aunt and uncle.” 

“Hello, Mister and Missis Parker,” Grace greeted with a friendly smile. 

Ben gasped and looked her over. “She really is an android? She looks so human.” 

“Thank you,” Tony replied. “I wanted to make her look as human as possible to help the children develop feelings for her, she was the only constant woman in their lives for a while and I felt that it would be best.” 

“That makes sense,” May agreed. Her eyes were drawn to the other android and she couldn’t he but question who he was. 

“I am Jarvis. I used to an AI programmed into the house but Mister Stark made me a body so that Grace and I would be able to keep each other company. It is lovely to meet you,” Jarvis replied. He wrapped a protective arm around Grace, the latter smiling lovingly up at him. 

May and Ben continued their questioning, Tony continued answering, and Grace and Jarvis continued boggling their minds. When they finally got back to what they originally came to talk about they decided that Peter would spend every other weekend with Ben and May and they would be able to visit any time they wanted. They were also the first to know that Tony was converting the Stark Tower in New York into their new home, moving closer to Peter in the process. 

**2007**

Tony fired Obadiah not long after finding out about Peter and had Friday, his new AI, keep tags on him and flag any suspicious activity. Friday is still new and Tony is still adjusting to not calling out to Jarvis. He created her after Jarvis decided that he liked having a body and wished to stay in it. 

Jarvis and Grace were out for a walk when Tony got a notice from Pepper saying that the Stark Expo was ready to be announced. He called for a press conference and announced that he was bringing the Expo back under the excuse that Howard would have wanted that. Really, Peter said he wished he could have gone to an Expo when they were watching old videos. The media doesn’t know any differently and they never will. 

Tony had to hack into Shield, yet again, to delete more information on him and his kids. He left the part about him being Iron man but made sure to erase any clues to them being part of the Umbrella Academy. This time he made sure to cover his tracks better. 

The media exploded when they first saw Tony with Peter. But, they also exploded when they got a picture of Dave and Klaus holding hands in park so it was nothing new. 

The move to New York went as smoothly as moving across the country could. Tony often worked with Peter in the lab. He didn’t do much, just hand him things and help Tony work out smaller problems. 

**2008**

Five was off to MIT, Vanya to Julliard, and Ben to get a teaching degree at Cornell University. Diego went to the police academy and was training to be an officer, while Luther decided to intern at NASA. Allison made it big time and moved to LA with her now fiance Patrick. Klaus decided that schooling was not his cup of tea and decided to stay with Tony at the tower and keep Peter company. He claimed he was going to become a fashion designer one way or another and “doesn’t need school to drag him down and destroy his hopes and dreams.” 

Most parents would be upset if their kid decided not to go to college but Tony couldn’t be more proud of Klaus. He knew what he wanted to do at the age of eighteen and that was more than Tony could say about himself at that age. 

Peter spent his days in kindergarten and always came home with a bright smile and a new story about his friend Ned. Tony funded the elementary school and made sure they had strong STEM programs. It wasn’t much, not really with it being an elementary school, but he felt it made a difference for the kids that went there, and that made him really happy. 

Pepper spent most of her time doing whatever the CEO had to do and keeping the business afloat. Tony couldn’t have been more proud to call her his girlfriend. He still missed the dynamic he had with the Pepper from the timeline he abandoned but he couldn’t help but love that he got his life together and asked her our before it was too late. 

Grace and Jarvis spent most of their time in each other’s company and Tony couldn’t be happier. He was hoping that they would at least get along when he first introduced Grace to Jarvis, never in his wildest dreams did he see them get together. It was a little odd at first, but they were his creations, both programmed to be as human as possible, and he’ll be damned if they weren’t able to feel at least some sort of human emotion. 

Tony spent his days tinkering in his lab with Klaus talking his ear off. When he was nineteen he would have snapped at anyone that even dared to breathe in his direction while tinkering, now, however, he wouldn’t have it any other way. His afternoons and evenings were filled with spending time with Peter and getting to bed on time. The only downside to creating another AI is that now he has four people to nag at him to get to bed on time: Grace, Jarvis, Pepper, and Friday. 

**2009**

Peter’s seventh birthday was spent at the zoo, even though the tower was close enough to it. He swung from Tony’s and Pepper’s arms as they looked at every animal, Peter spouting whatever fact he could possibly remember about them. May and Ben encouraging him and providing any information they knew. Everyone was there and what a sight they must’ve made. 

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts holding the hands of an excited seven-year-old and hanging on to every word he says. An actress and her fiancee. Klaus muttering to himself and clinging to Dave like he was tethering him to this plane of existence. Five ~~yelling~~ talking to Kenny about how he was wrong one way or another. Ben staring at the animals like it was his first time seeing them, though he was Stark and saw plenty of animals every time he was home. Luther and Diego arguing about who the better singer is. Vanya and Sissy holding hands and cuddling in the back of the group while sharing a pink cotton candy. Jarvis and Grace silently walking behind them all with small smiles on their faces. And May and Ben up with Pepper, Tony, and Peter, listening to the younger’s ramblings. 

Tony saw flashes and knew that the headlines the next day were likely to be ridiculous but he didn’t care because for the first time since the snap he was undeniably happy with his entire family in arms reach.


	16. 2010

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony doesn't get kidnapped, yay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to write this, I was having really bad writer's block and struggled to get it done. Thank you all for being patient and sticking with me <3

In another world, at another time, Tony would have been kidnapped and betrayed by someone he once saw as a friend. In this world, but at another time, he would have been kidnapped and betrayed but saved by his family. However, in this world, at this time he is trying to get his son to change his mind, which might very well be more difficult than any torture. 

“Klaus, it’s going to hurt like a bitch,” Tony said. The tattoo artist winced when she heard Tony’s tone. 

“So?” Klaus leaned over the binder with images of tattoos and pointed out several that he liked. “The butterfly is pretty but I’m thinking something that would go with my vibe. You know? Like the ouija board ‘HELLO’ and ‘GOODBYE’.” 

Klaus turned to look at Tony over his shoulder and grinned. Tony groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure?” 

“Of course I’m sure. Imagine how it’ll look when I wave to people,” Klaus giggled and the tattoo artist visibly relaxed. “Ooh, ooh. I also want to get one for Dave. He’s joining the army, so maybe I could get a rifle or a star?” Klaus snapped his fingers and spun to face his father. “A Star of David. I want a Star of David on my shoulder, HELLO on my right palm, and GOODBYE on my left palm.” 

Tony winced but didn’t object. The first thing the artist did was tattoo his palms. The room was filled with whimpering and cries of pain. Klaus was asked several times if he wanted to take a break but he always waved her off and claimed it was like ripping off a band-aid. When his palms were done he waited a couple of minutes until the pain dulled before standing up and having Tony help him take off his shirt. He flipped on his stomach and let the artist have her way. 

When it was done Klaus was grinning like a maniac and wouldn’t stop rambling about how he planned on calling Dave and showing him his new ink. “Klaus, how the hell did you go through that without shedding a tear?” 

Klaus winked at Tony, grinning as he sauntered away. A shiver wracked Tony’s entire body and he regretted asking the question. When they were back at the tower Grace ran up to Klaus and looked him over. 

“My sensors show that you’re in distress,” she fretted. Klaus waved her off but secretly enjoyed the way she cared for him. 

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m fine now. Dad tried to talk me out of it but I’m a Stark and you know how Stark men get when they set their minds to something.” Klaus grinned and waved at Tony over Grace’s shoulder. He glowered at him and walked over to the bar, fully intending to down a glass of whiskey. 

“Sir, I would advise you not to. It’s not healthy for you to consume that much alcohol,” Jarvis spoke, walking into the room and wrapping his arms around Grace. 

“Just because you have a body doesn’t mean I’ll listen to you,” Tony snapped. 

“You didn’t listen to me before, I was just telling you that it is ill-advised. When you end up with liver failure I don’t want to hear your complaints.” 

Tony put the cup down and gaped at his former AI. “You have gotten snappier since getting closer with Grace. Am I to expect a grandbaby?” 

“Mister Stark, I am afraid you didn’t create either of our bodies to do that. If we wanted to have a child together then you would have to create them,” Grave pointed out. 

“How does robot sex work anyway?” Klaus wondered out loud. “Is there sex? Or are both of you asexual? How does all of it work? Would they do it then merge codes and pass it on to a body that Dad creates?” 

Tony paused for a moment. Blinked. Inhaled. Blinked again. Exhaled. “What. The. Fuck,” he all but screeched. Grace and Jarvis winced but still looked thoughtful. “Klaus, please do the world a favor and just shut up.” 

Peter skipped into the room a moment later and looked at the room at large. “What’s going on, daddy?” 

“Nothing you should worry your sweet head about.” Tony pecked Peter on the forehead and put the glass back in the cupboard. “Do you want to check out Klaus’s new tattoos?” Peter nodded excitedly and bounced over to Klaus. 

Klaus eagerly pulled his shirt off to show his shoulder tattoo first. Peter gasped and went to trace his finger over it before pulling back suddenly. “Did it hurt?” 

“Well, to most people it would have,” Klaus boasted. He turned back around, keeping his palms safely hidden for the time being. “But, I am a superhero and I am awesome. Look.” Klaus held his hands up beside his face. He grinned and quickly flipped them over for Peter to see. 

“Woah, bubba. How did you manage to get it done on your palms? They have so many nerve endings and clusters that it would be incredibly painful.” Peter ran his tiny finger reverently over the plastic still covering the tattoo. 

“You are very smart, Bambi. It did hurt but I made sure to stay strong. You know, I had Eddy there to help me, dad was there too but I’m pretty sure he was more nervous than I was.” Klaus grinned cheekily much to Tony’s dismay. “What would you say to ice cream sundaes?” 

Peter cheered and ran to the kitchen, Klaus hot on his heels. Tony sighed where he was from still behind the bar. He chuckled softly to himself and shook his head fondly. 

The next day all of the siblings were flying out first thing for Peter’s birthday. Klaus was going to take him out on the town until they got there and had everything set up. Grace and Jarvis were going to be the responsible adults and make sure they didn’t eat until they puked. Klaus made sure to drag them all out after twelve and kept them until three. 

The siblings all worked together to hang up streamers while Pepper and Tony baked the cake. By the time Klaus returned with the group the penthouse looked completely different. Streamers were hung from the ceiling in the colors red, blue, and gold. The cake was set up on a small table surrounded by presents. May and Ben showed up later into the evening because both of them had to work. 

When Peter first entered the penthouse he squealed. Tony’s smile, covering a wince, grew when he saw the joy on his kid’s face. Peter’s friends were there- Ned, MJ, and Harry- and chose to spend the night. Allison was staying for the week with Patrick because she didn’t want to be on the flight back so soon. Sadly though Five, Ben, and Vanya had to go back to their schools the next day. 

During the party, everyone was laughing and enjoying their time off. They played games with Peter and his friends before they went to sleep for the night. The adults settled onto the couch enjoying each other’s company and not wanting to say anything for a moment.

Five was the first to speak up. “I think I’ll be able to graduate early,” Five said. Tony glanced at him over the top of the drink he was nursing. 

“That’s amazing. You’re becoming a physicist, right? Maybe you’ll be able to meet Bruce Banner. I hear he is an expert in his field,” Pepper commented idly, pride evident in her voice. 

“I’m proud of you, kid,” Tony spoke up. Five glanced at him and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. “Really, I am. Not many people would be able to do everything that you have and still be able to graduate from college early.” 

The implications hung in the air, most being unaware of what he truly meant. Klaus glanced nervously to his left and shifted slightly in his seat. “Dad, do you have my pills?” Tony fished a small bottle from his pocket and tossed it to him. Klaus was quick to open it and fish one out, washing it down with a cup of tea. “Thanks,” he muttered as he tossed the bottle back. 

Sissy watched the exchange with furrowed eyebrows. “What do those do?” She said, her sweet southern drawl more prominent the more worried she seemed to have been. 

“Don’t worry, they’re safe. Dad wouldn’t let me take anything unless he knew exactly what was in it,” Klaus reassured. “Besides, they help with some problems in the ol’ noodle.” Klaus motioned vaguely to his temple before resting his head on the back of the couch. 

She hummed in the back of her throat and pulled Vanya closer. Vanya tilted her head to the side and studied her girlfriend. “How’s Harlen these days?” 

“He’s good. Still isn’t speaking but I think he’ll get there someday,” Sissy replied. 

“Who is Harlen?” Allison asked. She glanced over at Luther before looking back at her sister. 

“He’s my son,” Sissy replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “He’s one right now.” 

They talked throughout the night, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. When everyone finally drifted off to their rooms it was well past midnight. 

The next morning Vanya, Five, and Ben had to say their goodbyes. Peter raced out into the living room and tackled them into a hug. Peter may have cried but if asked now he would valiantly deny that it happened. Allison and Patrick stayed a few days longer before they decided to head back. Diego and Luther left a day or so after that. 


	17. 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at this point, canon has just fucked so fat off that it can't be found and I must say that it's refreshing.

This is the year Tony was supposed to be attacked by a Russian guy with an arc reactor. Tony decided that he wasn’t going to be almost electrocuted so he didn’t televise that he shrunk the arc reactor. His facilities specially make the reactors for hospitals. Each reactor has a chip in it that is deactivated once it is inside the person’s chest. They are specially created to only work once fused with the proper person’s DNA, meaning, they can’t be stolen and used in other ways. 

Each hospital had to sign an NDA about where they got the reactors and how they work. This all happened years ago after Tony stopped making weapons and moved to medical. He was extremely happy with his work. 

Tony was flagged by Shield the moment he stopped making weapons. He hacked into their database any time they got close to figuring out who the Umbrella Academy was under their masks. He was flagged because he was sloppy with his work, purposefully that time, he needed contact set up with Fury. 

Now, he was ready to use his connection with Nick Fury to his advantage. He called Fury’s personal number, the one only three people even know exists. 

“Director Fury, it’s me. You know who I am. I need a couple of favors from you,” Tony said. 

There was an audible sigh from the other side of the phone.  _ “How did you get this number, Stark?”  _

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Tony replied cheekily. “Anyways, how are you these days, Director?” 

_ “I’m good,” _ Fury replied hesitantly. 

“Good, good. And how are Agents Barton and Romanoff?” 

_ “How do you know about them?” _

Tony glanced down at his hand and noticed how much oil and grease he had under his nails. “Do you think they would join me for a mani-pedi?” 

_ “Answer the question, Stark,” _ Fury all but growled out. 

“I have my ways. Say, that’s a really nice suit you have on today,” Tony replied. He looked up and watched Fury glance around himself, spotting no one.

_ “What do you want, Stark?”  _

“I want to speak to Barton and Romanoff, I have something I need their help with.” 

_ “They aren’t for sale,”  _ Fury replied gruffly. Tony nodded to his right and grinned when a red dot appeared on Fury’s chest, right over his heart. 

“Shame, I could really use their help. How much did that suit cost you? A thousand dollars? It would really be a shame if something were to… happen to it.” 

Fury looked down at his chest and paled significantly.  _ “Why are you doing this, Stark?”  _

“I will repeat my words from earlier; that’s for me to know and you to find out. So, do we have a deal or not?” 

_ “Fine. Ten minutes, no more. Public meeting. Three o’clock tomorrow.”  _

“Thank you much, doll,” Tony replied, hanging up the phone. He nudged Klaus with his foot signaling for the younger to shut off the laser pointer. 

“Did it work?” Tony grinned and nodded. Klaus cheered and jumped to his feet. “Why did you need to meet with them anyway?” 

“I need them to extract someone for me, someone important,” Tony replied cryptically. Back at the tower, Tony disappeared into his lab. “Friday, do you have the exact location?” 

“I do, Boss. I do have a question though,” the AI spoke. 

“What is it, Babygirl?” 

“Why are you looking for the Winter Soldier? He’s been active for years and you seem to really want to find him.” 

“I do. I think I might know who he is under his mask and I want to get him safe.” Tony had Friday send the coordinates to his phone. The next day he met the Shield agents at a diner in town. “Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff,” he greeted. 

“Stark,” Natasha replied. She inclined her head in his direction but stayed still nonetheless. 

“What do you want?” Clint demanded. 

“Ah, straight to the matter at hand I see. Well, I know that Shield is currently defrosting the Capsicle and I think I know where his best bud is.” Tony waved a waitress over and ordered a cup of coffee and a doughnut. She brought it back moments later with a large smile on her face. 

“How did you find that out?” Natasha lowered her voice and leaned closer to Tony. Clint narrowed his eyes at him but didn’t comment. 

“Magic,” Tony deadpanned. “Anyway, I have reason to believe that Barnes is the Winter Soldier and they are using some kind of cryo-tech to keep him that way. I was wondering if both of you would help me find him. You would each be compensated fully and have back up in the form of Iron man and The Umbrella Academy.” 

Natasha froze and Tony was grateful that he traveled back so he could read her carefully hidden expressions. She looked terrified and had every right to be. From the stories she told when they were a team, Barnes trained her in the Red Room and was a ghost in the assassin world. From what he put together from Five’s and her stories he was fucking terrifying if you were on the business end of his weapons. 

She glanced over at Clint and they had a silent conversation. They stared at each other for a few moments before Clint turned back to Tony. “We’ll help. But, we are doing it by our terms.” 

“Okay,” Tony replied, grinning happily. 

“Okay?” 

“Yep, okay. As long as I have your help we should be able to find him.” 

They hashed out the details for several hours. The waitress came back several times and each time Tony got a refill on his coffee. When the meeting was done Tony said his farewells and headed back to the tower. Distantly he knew they were following him, probably to see if he was going to stop at a Hydra base and become an enemy or something. He didn’t really know but he could understand their concern. 

When he got to the tower he talked it over with Klaus before deciding to call the others. The date for recon was in three weeks and he wanted to see who all could help. Allison was in between movies and the three in college had a break coming up. It would be pushing it for them but they didn’t care much. Klaus was free, obviously, but Diego and Luther weren’t. 

The weeks passed with Tony tinkering in his lab and upgrading anything he could get his hands on. He created updated Widow Bites for Natasha based on everything he remembered and was even able to upgrade Clint’s bow and arrows. He created the nano suits for everyone, except Peter because he wasn’t Spider-man yet and Tony wasn’t building him a suit until he proved to be able to take care of himself. 

He let Peter help him when he could, usually helping with the less advanced tech like for the arrows. He also showed him how he created the nanites for the suits and made him promise not to tell anyone that they had them. The nano suits were backups in case the other suits got damaged beyond repair. He needed to keep his hand close to his chest in case Fury tried to use them for something that he didn’t agree too. 

When the three-week mark hit, Tony was alerted to Natasha and Clint’s entrance in the building by Klaus screaming “Они здесь” loud enough Tony could swear they heard him three floors down. When Tony walked in the room Natasha was muttering in a language Tony didn’t know while Klaus was trying to stifle his laughter. Vanya gave him a withering look and elbowed him. 

Klaus yelped, glared, and cussed her out in so many different languages and so strongly that Tony could have sworn he saw a small blush on Natasha’s face. Vanya raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him and went back to her conversation with Ben. Five looked bored throughout the entire exchange. 

“Fivey, you don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself,” Tony remarked dryly. 

“Oh, I’m enjoying myself so much. Just pure joy is radiating out of my every pore. It really enthuses me to be in the same room as my siblings who wouldn’t know how to shut up even if someone broke their jaws and two deadly assassins that could decide at any given moment that they don’t like us and kill everyone,” Five deadpanned. Klaus gasped and held a hand up to his chest like he was wounded while the others chuckled quietly. 

“Oh good. For a moment I thought that you didn’t want to be here,” Tony replied. “Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, these are my kids. Assholes- I mean children, these are Shield Agents Barton and Romanoff.” 

Five glanced over at them coldly but Tony could tell he was vaguely impressed. “Shield. I haven’t heard that name since I was younger. How is the Director these days? Still harassing Dad to join his super-secret boy band?” 

“Actually, your father reached out to him and threatened to kill him,” Clint replied. 

“Did he now? He failed to mention that,” Allison said. She sounded disappointed and Tony felt hurt that she thought so lowly of him. 

"Actually, it was a laser pointer,” Klaus piped up. He grinned and the two agents and waved at Clint. “I got to hold it.” 

“I can’t believe you think so low of me, Alli-cat. That’s just cold,” Tony shook his head in faux disappointment. “My only other daughter.” 

“Don’t forget about Grace,” Ben said. Tony shot him a look that told him to shut up. He didn’t listen. “She is also your daughter. Although she’s our mother so that just screams incest.” 

“Ben, you are a true asshole. Grace is your mother and my creation. Just like Jarvis is also my creation. She technically doesn’t count as my child because she is a robot but if anyone were to try and take her away from me they would have to pry her from my lifeless corpse. Now, please quit telling people that I forced my daughter to raise you guys as her children. Do you know how pissed off Pep gets every time that headline comes through her office?” 

Ben grinned devilishly. “Well, if you didn’t do it then why do you insist we call our sister mom?” 

“I didn’t insist. Grace, honey, babygirl, please back me up here,” Tony pleaded desperately. Grace walked in a moment later with Jarvis in tow. “I don’t want to know what you two were even up to. Please tell my darling little boy that he is wrong and I didn’t make you their sister and insist that they call you mom.” 

Natasha and Clint were watching the exchange with faint smiles on their faces. “Well, you didn’t insist for them to call me mom and I have not physically aged for over twenty-some years so I’m not sure how well the sibling claim holds up. Jarvis is also technically one of your siblings so whatever is going on between us is incest.” 

“Grace, love, doll, the only one that can call me on my bullshit, please never say that you and Jarvis are incestuous because you’re robots that are technically not supposed to feel human emotions. That means that human terms don’t apply to you unless you came from the same code. Now, can we please get on with this mission before my kids make me any more uncomfortable?” 

“Adios cabrones. See you soon,” Klaus called after their retreating forms. The plan was for the siblings to stay in the penthouse long enough for the jet to leave the landing pad. Then they would suit up and go to the coordinates Tony sent them. After waiting fifteen minutes Klaus deemed it safe to suit up and they were on their way. 

The flight for both parties was boring. Tony patched the suits into the conversation in the jet so that his kids wouldn’t be left out of the loop but it was mostly silent. At one point he put on music but quickly shut it off after he noticed the way Natasha paled when a certain verse rang through the cabin. 

When they landed Tony went over the plan with Natasha and Clint. They decided the spies would head out first and see if they could locate Barnes while Tony makes sure he’s seen in the little area. What he doesn’t tell them is that his kids are already in the area searching for the same man. One look at Natasha and he knows that it won’t be hard for her to realize what is going on. 

They split up, Natasha and Clint heading off to wherever they need to go to find him and Tony off to a seedy motel to set up shop. He booked five rooms and picked one to set up his computers and his suit. When that was done he had Friday scanning the area’s footage to see if she could narrow down the location. 

Tony headed out for a bite to eat, smiling at every camera he saw and playing it up for the locals. Even though Hydra may not care about casualties they do care about keeping quiet until they can strike. If there is enough footage of what they are doing then Tony can contact Fury and get him to send Shield agents to infiltrate the bases. He can provide locations that Friday found and he totally didn’t remember from when they went base hunting. 

The spies, of course, would not be seen by the cameras because they were the best of the best. No one would even know that Clint and Natasha were in the area if Tony had anything to say about it. If they were noticed or caught on camera, highly unlikely, and most improbable, then Friday was set to alert him and he would delete any and all footage that they’re on. 

Tony was eating pelmeni at a local restaurant when his comm crackled to life. 

_ “We found something,” _ Natasha spoke. Tony sighed and looked down at his dumplings in sadness. 

“Seriously? I just got food,” he whined. He could feel Natasha’s glare and it sent chills down his spine. “Fine, fine. I will just abandon it like God abandoned this timeline.” 

There was snort that sounded distinctly masculine, causing Tony to remember all the times Clint would make his presence known from the vents.  _ “You do that,” _ Natasha’s voice, while cold, still had a hint of amusement that only years of living with her in close quarters would help him pick it up. 

“Send me your coordinates and I’ll be there asap.” His phone dinged a second later. He called a waiter over and asked, in very choppy Russian, if he could get his food to go. He jogged back to the motel, suited up, and headed out. After forwarding the location to his kids he was confident that nothing could possibly go wrong. 

Halfway through the infiltration, they were spotted. Tony threw Natasha her updated Widow Bites and smirked when she brought the man to his knees. It wasn’t hard to get passed him, it was the others he alerted. Tony prayed to whatever deity was watching over him that they didn’t release Barnes on them. 

They made quick work of shooting at anything that moved, besides each other of course. Tony broke down a door that led to a room full of scientists and agents. He shot them all and connected a hard drive to their low-grade computer systems. While Friday was decrypting their files, Tony wondered further into the base. 

_ “Found him,” _ Clint said, voice filled with horror and disgust. 

“Is he still in one piece?” 

_ “Yeah, but he’s frostier than the snowman. We’re gonna need help figuring out what to do with him. Don’t wanna hurt him after saving him.”  _

“I’ll find you guys, just hang tight and shoot anything with a red octopus on it.” 

An alert popped onto Tony’s screen that Pepper was trying to call him. He winced and answered the call.  _ “So, I noticed you’re missing one of your suits and five of the kids’ suits are gone too, mind explaining what you are doing?”  _

“That is a very good question,” Tony said as he aimed a gauntlet at a guy with a gun and shot him. “One that I will surely have to get back to you on. It is lovely to hear your voice again, I thought you were in Seoul for three more days.” 

_ “That’s the thing with meetings, some times things come up and I get to come home early. Now, answer the question or so help me I will shut off all power to your suits with the override.”  _

“You’re cute when you’re angry.” Tony fired at another guy and hit him square in the chest. “Please don’t tell me you are going to get pretty damn gorgeous because I don’t think my brain would be able to handle all of that beauty. But, to answer your question, we are out finding the Capsicle’s best bud.” 

_ “Right,” _ Pepper said, voice dripping with disbelief.  _ “So why did you need six suits of armor?”  _

“Okay, Pep, I know that you hate when we go out in the armor, I know it okay? Please do not lecture me I really don’t need it. We should be back by the end of the week I absolutely promise. I will explain everything when I return and I’ll even take a spa day with you if you want me too.” 

_ “I expect you back by Wednesday, no later. Peter misses you already and so do I. You spent three weeks in your lab, barely coming out to see us, I’m worried Tony.”  _

Tony sighed. He came up to the room that Clint and Natasha were in but decided to prioritize his call. “I know, Pep. I’m really sorry. I’ll spend time with everyone when I get back. I’ll also be bringing a guest. Do you remember James Barnes?” 

_ “How could I forget him? He’s all over Captain America’s exhibit,”  _ she paused and gasped.  _ “You didn’t.”  _

“You are right about most things, Pep, but this is one you are so horribly wrong about. I have located him and I’m currently retrieving him with a couple of buddies of mine. Could you please tell Grace to get a room ready for him? I would do it myself but I’m not really there.” 

Natasha sent Tony a disapproving look and tapped her foot impatiently. 

_ “Yeah, it’ll give her something to do besides worry over you. We’re all doing fine, by the way, thank you for asking.”  _

“Pep, dear, light of my life, can I please call you back? We found the popsicle and if I’m going to be honest he isn’t looking too hot.” 

_ “Tony, I hate your lame jokes. If you aren’t back by Wednesday I’m cutting off power to your suits and freezing your bank accounts. Be safe and I love you.”  _

“Love you too, Pep. And I’ll be back.” The call ended and Tony turned to face the two glaring assassins. “Look, if either of you had to deal with a pissed off girlfriend then you would prioritize her call too.” Their glares softened, only slightly though.

When Tony looked at the cryo pod that Barned was stashed in he noticed that they already started to defrost him, which isn’t too good because Tony has no clue how he will react when fully thawed. 

“What’s wrong? You have been silent for more than a minute,” Clint noted. 

“Yeah, well Frosty the Snowman is melting and he might be a little more than pissed off. Friday, alert the Seance that he is needed immediately. See this tube right here?” Tony pointed to a four-inch diameter tube that looked like it was connected to the bottom of the glass casing. “That is what was keeping him cold judging by the ice crystals on it. Now, when he wakes up, he will be very cold and possibly violent. Or, he will be distant and think of us as someone that wants to control him instead of help, and I really don’t want that.” 

A section of the roof collapsed inward and all five of them flew through it. Five grinned like the shit head that he is and made a show of kicking rubble out of his way. “You can teleport, you shit,” Tony growled. Natasha and Clint sent him very confused glances but he just waved them off. 

“I didn’t feel like it. Besides, I feel like I should have been allowed a dramatic entrance,” Five retorted. Tony took great pride in his designs. He created a voice modifier so that no one, even with the best tech in the world (besides his own) would be able to figure out who they are. 

“Whatever. Seance, can you ask around and see how long we have to figure shit out?” 

“Yeah, yeah, give me a moment. I have the world’s biggest headache right now from all the screaming assholes.” Klaus shouted the last three words and smirked slightly to himself. “That’s better.” He started to mutter to the air around himself and fully zoned out from the living. When he came back he looked paler. “Well, he won’t be violent because that has been tortured out of him. He will be quiet and not speak because that was also tortured out of him. We have fifteen minutes before he is fully unfrosted and he will have no clue who the hell we are. Everyone here will look like a Handler and he will react accordingly. No one can give him demands because he will follow the order to a tee.” 

“That’s...not good,” Tony sighed. He stepped out of his suit and had it stand sentient by the door. Everyone here will look like a, what did you call it? A handler?” 

“Yep, there’s more that they told me but I feel like that’s more personal and to be discussed when he feels comfortable.” 

“Why can’t you tell us now?” Clint asked, voice filled with skepticism. 

“Well, I can’t tell you because that is private information that only he has a right to share. Any arguments about it and you just might find yourself haunted,” Klaus threatened. 

“Is that a threat?” 

“Yes, yes it is. And unless you’d like to find out the extent I’m willing to go, I suggest you back down and leave it. I know more about you than you know yourself, don’t test me.” 

Clint, for his part, was smart and backed down. Now, usually, he wasn’t one to give up a fight but he wasn’t willing to have his entire life story spilled in front of everyone just because he wanted to know more about their target. 

Tony clearing his throat interrupted the awkward silence. “Do either of you remember if there was a knit blanket on the plane? That will be warm enough for him.” 

Natasha nodded. “Yeah, it was silver and green.” 

Tony burst out laughing. “I didn’t think he would actually go through with it,” he spoke, tears running down the corners of his eyes. 

“Go through with what?” 

Tony doubled over and needed a moment to catch his breath. “Klaus read Harry Potter with Ben and was obsessed with it. He claimed that I was a Slytherin and said that he was making a blanket to match my personality. I didn’t think he’d go through with it. Wait, wait, wait. Friday? Did he create blankets for everyone?” 

“Indeed he did. He himself has a gold and black one on his bed,” Friday replied, sounding as cheeky as a disembodied AI voice could. Tony glanced at Klaus and burst out laughing again when he saw the glare that was being shot his way. 

By the time he was able to calm down fully, they were able to get Barnes out of the cryo pod. Five jumped him to the plane without much warning except for a muttered: “hold on.” Klaus planted several explosives on the way out that no one, not even Natasha or Clint, seemed to notice. The five kids all flew off moments after the three adults boarded the plane. 

Tony wrapped the warm blanket around a very confused Bucky. He asked Friday to scan his arm and see what it was made of and worked on upgrades that he could provide when Bucky was better. When the plane landed Fury was waiting expectantly for them. “Stark, please explain to me why the news reported you in Russia.” 

“Well, I was trying some authentic Russian cuisine with two of the best in the business. While we were eating this popsicle walks by. So, Natasha points him out because she was the first to notice him. No, you can’t debrief him he is suffering, now, if you’ll excuse me I promised Pepper that I would spend family time with her and my kids. If you want you can join but be prepared to get called names, they’re all so kind like that.” 

Tony patted Fury on the shoulder and went to walk past him. “I don’t seem to recall seeing any of your kids up here. I saw Parker but that was it.” 

“His name is Peter Parker-Stark. He isn’t just Parker anymore,” Tony snapped. “My other kids were doing whatever the hell it is young adults do these days. I don’t keep them on a short leash like you seem to keep your agents. By the way, a thank you would be wonderful. I upgraded Agent Romanoff’s Widow Bites to bring a grown man to his knees in a matter of seconds. I also updated Agent Barton’s bow and arrows. The arrows are now high tech with a targeting ability, not that he’ll need it.” 

Fury’s eye narrowed in suspicion. “What do you want, Stak?” 

“That’s Mister Stark to you,” Tony replied icily. “You always think I want something. Every time I do anything it’s because I want something. I stopped producing weapons because I wanted something. I gave arc reactors to hospitals because I wanted something. Everything I do is because I want something. It’s not like I don’t already have enough money, not like I already have everything I could possibly need. No, I can’t do anything without wanting something. Well, I want something right now, and that’s for you to get the hell out of my house and never come. Don’t contact me about the initiative and don’t call about the Capsicle. If he’s smart he’ll leave as soon as he’s awake. Friday, if he isn’t gone in three minutes alert Happy and have him escorted off the property. Agents Barton and Romanoff are more than welcome to stay if they want to.” 

Tony sent one last glare at a stunned Fury before storming out of the room. When he walked into the living room he pulled Pepper into a hug and buried his face in her neck. He took a couple of moments to compose himself before he straightened and pecked her lips. They spent the evening playing board games and telling funny stories. Grace and Jarvis escorted Barnes into a spare room and told him that would be down the hall should he need anything.


	18. 2012

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts off as Avengers but somehow becomes Iron man 3. Don't ask I'm a prisoner of my brain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry for not updating sooner. But on the plus side, you all get to enjoy an almost 8,000-word chapter. So, any mistakes are not my fault. I currently just do what my brain says and sometimes it isn't fully articulate about what needs to be put into words. If something doesn't make sense then don't blame the messenger. I am but a prisoner to myself. Kudos and comments make my day and I love reading what you all have to say. ;)

Tony knew what was supposed to happen this year. How could he not? But, there were differences, changes he wasn’t sure how the timeline would be affected. Like Bucky for example. He was still recovering, most of his memories hazy and not quite there, but his presence changes much more than a few simple words. Bucky being here would affect Steve and the rest of the team, hell, it’s already affected his family. 

Klaus and Bucky have formed a hesitant friendship. Bucky is still dealing with the changes in years and going through all of his memories and trying to remember everything important. Klaus distracts him from that. Beautiful, loud, rambunctious Klaus. Bucky has become a protective figure over Klaus. Tony has seen the glares sent to anyone that stares too long and he still gets chills. 

When Dave first came to visit Klaus, Tony tried to keep Bucky away from them, afraid of how he would react to them being open about their relationship. His plan ultimately failed when Friday announced Dave’s presence and Bucky was out of the lab in a matter of seconds. When Tony finally caught up to him he was watching the couple interact from the shadows. Bucky turned back and looked at Tony and asked how they could risk getting caught. 

Tony then had to explain that things were different now which led to a conversation that he was uncomfortable with. 

“So, you’re tellin’ me that someone could be gay without getting killed or imprisoned for it?” Bucky looked hopeful yet sad at the same time. It broke Tony’s heart. 

“Yeah. Gay marriage isn’t legalized yet and some people are still assholes, but no one is going to be killed or go to jail for it. That’s why Klaus has so many skirts and feather boas. He wears them because he loves them but it also pisses off people that are still closed-minded.” Bucky looked thoughtful and didn’t push the subject. Tony had an inkling of an idea on what Bucky was thinking about. 

Tony wonders what Steve’s reaction to Bucky would be. Bucky only remembers him in hazy shades of black and white and Tony hopes that Steve understands that he might not remember him fully. He would hate to have to shoot Steve because he got pissed off at Bucky for something he couldn’t control. He may hate it but that doesn’t mean that he’ll hesitate if Steve turns on his oldest friend. 

Tony also wonders about how the rest of the team will react. Bruce will probably be in awe of how he survived so many years. Thor might consider him a worthy ally. Natasha would definitely notice the sexual tension between Steve and Bucky and tease the former endlessly about it. And Clint would probably become his partner in crime. 

One thing that Tony has definitely noticed about the popsicle is that he has a pension for mischief. Tony will often go down to his lab and find it redecorated in lovely bright pink or neon orange. His suits will need new coats of paint because  _ someone _ decided they looked good in the Captain America colors. 

Yeah, Tony decided, Clint and Bucky would get along like a house on fire. He also decided that they aren’t allowed to be left alone in the same room together. 

Tony figured out how far Bucky’s protective streak with Klaus went one day while they were in Target. People were staring because it was the Stark family with a mysterious stranger. Bucky glared at anything that breathed and even threatened a guy that took a picture of them. 

Klaus was wearing a black leather miniskirt and a crop top paired with heeled black boots. He looked amazing. Since Klaus’s outfit was typically seen on someone that looked much more feminine than him, Bucky took it upon himself to be his personal bodyguard. It went exactly as one might think. 

They were in the produce section grabbing anything that looked healthy and shoving it in their cart. Bucky stood off to the side, watching them carefully and eyeing everything they put in. Some guy, Tony didn’t bother with names, decided to try and get a picture of them. Of course, nothing gets passed an ex-assassin and spy. 

The phone was snatched out of the guy’s hands and crushed by Bucky faster than anyone could blink. The guy, being the star citizen and obvious genius that he was, tried to pick a fight with the much more highly trained killer. It would have been funny, it was funny at the time, had Tony not known that Pepper would be hounding him to “get his guard dog under control.” Her words, not his. 

Bucky crossed his arms and glared down at the shorter offender. The guy, having an IQ of three, didn’t back down. He crossed his scrawny matchstick arms and tried to glare back. Bucky raised an eyebrow, removed his dark sunglasses, and flexed his metal arm. It took the other guy all of five seconds to realize that this wasn’t a game and his life was in danger. He ran like a little girl causing Bucky to smirk to himself and put the glasses on. 

Tony watched the entire ordeal with a smile and regretted nothing when Pepper was yelling at him. Klaus was cackling and clutching his stomach while everyone else in the direct vicinity looked like they were going to shit their pants. 

All of this leads up to the day Tony has been deeply anticipating (read: dreading). The day Loki attacks Germany. 

“Bucky, there are reports from Germany about an otherworldly whatever the hell. You wanna come with or are you staying here?” Tony walked over to his most recent suit, the mark 35. It was close to the same design as the mark 50 but a little bit less high tech. He didn’t quite develop the nano suits because he hasn’t had the time. They’re almost done, but not up to perfection yet. 

“Yeah, why not?” Bucky shrugged and started to gather up his weapons and holsters. Tony stared at the number of knives Bucky somehow managed to strap to himself in disdain. He really needs to develop better weapons for him. 

“Klaus can stay here for this, it shouldn’t take long. Friday, tell Klaus that Bucky and I’ll be back in a few days and that he and Dave aren’t allowed to stay in his room unsupervised. Also, can you tell Peter that he needs to get his homework done?” 

“Right away sir,” Friday replied, voice filled with mirth despite the fact that she shouldn’t be able to feel human emotions. Tony shook his head and suited up. 

“Alright, Barnes, you’ll be taking the plane because I refuse to carry you,” Tony spoke. He turned around in time to see the stink eye Bucky was giving him. 

“I wouldn’t want you to carry me anyways, that’s weird.” 

Tony nodded his agreement and typed the coordinates into the newest Starkphone for the plane. “Alright, I’ll see you in a few hours. Put this in the shell of your ear and we’ll be on our way.” 

Bucky eyed the black pea-sized object with trepidation. “That isn’t gonna grow legs and crawl inside me is it? I really don’t want some sort of thing inside me.” 

“No, it won’t grow legs. Now put the damn thing on so we can go,” Tony whined. Bucky scowled, grabbed the small object, and did as he was told. Tony opened a window leading out of his lab and dived out of it, pulling out of the freefall feet from hitting the ground. Bucky grumbled the entire elevator ride up to the landing pad. 

The flight wasn’t as quick as Tony wished it would be. It seemed much longer without Klaus’s playful banter and awful jokes. When he saw Natasha's plane he grinned. He could imagine Pepper shaking her head at him when he had Friday hack into the plane’s PA system and play  _ Shoot to Thrill _ . “Agent Romanoff, ya miss me?” 

_“Tony shut the hell up,”_ Bucky yelled over the comms. _“Quit flirtin’ with the Russian and_ _find whoever is trying to take over Germany, again.”_

“Alright, Sergeant Salty. You’re just jealous that she won’t kill me in an instant.” 

_ “Bullshit. She’d kill you for a corn chip.”  _

Tony landed in front of Loki and raised all his weapons at him. “Stand down reindeer games. And Sergeant, do the world a favor and shut the hell up, thanks.” 

_ “You’re just jealous,” _ Bucky mocked. Tony scoffed and cuffed Loki. 

“Of what? You don’t have anything that I can’t buy.” 

_ “Low blow.”  _

“Said with love.” 

Steve gave Tony a weird look. “Who are you talking to?” 

“An old friend,” Tony replied cryptically. “Anyways, Sarge, we caught Rock of Ages and we’re heading back now. I’ll send the jet to your location.” 

_ “Roger that, asshole.”  _

“Rude.” Tony changed the coordinates on the plane to send it to the helicarrier. He grabbed Loki and flew him up to Natasha’s plane. He came back for Steve a moment later. “Captain America would you like a lift?” 

Steve sighed and hung his head low. “Might as well.” 

_ “Did you say Captain America? I swear to fuck if that’s Steve I’m going to kill him. That bastard. Peggs told me shit about him and I feel like it’s only fitting if he dies.”  _

“That’s vicious but understandable. If I was friends with him I’d want to kill him too,” Tony commented. Steve look genuinely concerned and caused Tony to laugh. “Don’t worry, Cap. No one’s gonna die tonight.” 

_ “So you say, Stark, so you say,”  _ Bucky muttered darkly. The cargo door to the plane opened and Tony walked in with Steve. 

“That’s how it’ll stay, Sarge. No killing, you aren’t Loki.” Loki glanced up at his name and glared at the suited man. “Oh shut it, Rock of Ages, you know what you did.” 

Loki looked confused and mouth something to himself like he was trying to figure out what the nickname meant. “Mister Stark, it would be much appreciated if you didn’t antagonize a murderer.” 

“That’s what my kid said a couple of days ago when we were playing checkers. I still beat him,” Tony said. 

_ “Liar. Five kicked your ass.”  _

Tony helpfully ignored Bucky’s comments. Steve made a sound that sounded like a choked off sob and a puppy getting its tail stepped on. “He what?” 

“He told me not to antagonize a murderer and I still beat him at checkers.” 

_ “Again, you didn’t. Tell Steve that I’m going to kill him.”  _

“My annoying ward on the other side of my comm is saying that he’s going to kill you. Don’t ask me why. He has something against justice and Nazi hunting,” Tony said much to Steve’s confusion and horror. 

_ “Tony, you’re next. There is a two-foot grave already dug for you,”  _ Bucky threatened. 

“I am taller than two feet,” Tony replied indignantly. Natasha snorted from the co-pilot’s seat causing Tony to scowl. “Not a word, Agent Romanoff, not a word.” 

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” 

_ “Bullshit.”  _

“She can’t hear you.” Right after Tony said that the plane was rocked by heavy wind. Lightning flashed followed closely by thunder. Tony groaned, almost completely forgetting about getting hit by the hammer. “Fuck me,” he grumbled under his breath. 

_ “I may be gay but I’d rather not,” _ Bucky replied cheekily. 

“Is this you coming out?” 

_ “Can’t come out if I’ve always been out. I lived with a guy for christ’s sake.”  _

“Don’t bring her into this.” 

_ “Her?” _

“Yeah, yeah. God is a woman and all that shit,” Tony replied distractedly. Steve shot him a look, one that seemed much too angry to belong on any good Catholic boy. 

He shot a look over at Loki and noticed that he looked queasy. “You scared of a little lightning?” 

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki replied. He scootched down in his seat, looking like he was trying to hide from something or someone. The cargo door burst open followed by a hammer hitting Tony. 

Tony groaned and felt like he aged ten years. “I hate that hammer,” he murmured. Thor called back his hammer, grabbed Loki, and flew off. Tony flying off right after. 

_ “Did Steve put on a parachute?”  _

Tony glanced back behind himself and noticed Steve putting one on. “Yep, Sarge, he is finally doing the smart thing. When you guys meet up will you fuck with him?” 

_ “That’s for me to know and you to find out,” _ Bucky replied. Tony groaned and pushed the suit to the fastest it would go. 

“This is for your boyfriend, Sergeant.” Tony flew faster, tackled Thor off the cliff, and got hit with the hammer yet again. “I will destroy that godforsaken toy someday and I will enjoy watching the world burn.” 

_ “That’s a lot of anger for someone so small.” _

“It’s because I’m closer to Hell. Irredeemable suffering in the ninth pit.” 

_ “Tony, I swear to fuck I’ll tell Pepper and Peter that you’re talking bad about yourself.”  _

“No.” Tony froze causing Thor to side-eye him. “Don’t you dare tell Pep. The Alps may not have killed you but I will.” 

“You do not know what you are dealing with,” Thor said, ignoring Tony’s comments to Bucky, most likely because he thought Tony was talking to himself. 

“Uh,” Tony’s helmet receded. He looked around in fake confusion and held his arms out. “Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?” 

_ “Drama queen,” _ Bucky said in a sing-song voice. Tony hissed at him, like a cat yes. Thor, poor poor Thor, looked so confused and it almost broke Tony’s heart. Almost. 

Steve ran in a moment later before Thor could throw his hammer, yet again, and Tony blocked it with his body. They argued for a few minutes before coming to an agreement. Tony was just glad he wasn’t going to get hit  _ with the fucking hammer again _ . When their group got back to the helicarrier Bucky was nowhere to be seen.

“Sarge, where the hell are you?” 

_ “Currently? I’d say somewhere on the third or the fourth floor. There’s a giant glass tank with a control panel. Is this for Banner?” _

“Shit, Fury went through with that? Never mind I’m not even surprised. Get your ass out of there, we’re bringing Loki down.” 

“Seriously who the hell are you talking to?” Steve tilted his head to the side slightly, blue eyes sparkling in the lights. 

“The voices in my head,” Tony deadpanned, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Klaus saying that he’d tap that. “Yeah, I can see and hear things. I live in my own little world where I don’t feel pain or any other emotions. It’s a real problem. I haven’t been fully diagnosed but if I had to guess I’d say it’s Noneofyourbusiness-itis.” 

Bucky cackled over the nearly invisible earpiece causing Tony to flinch.  _ “I’m not sorry. But the last time someone sassed Steve like that he ended up in a headlock.”  _

“I have a feeling you don’t mean the person that sassed him,” Tony commented, mildly enthused. 

_ “Nah, Steve threw a punch because the guy catcalled some poor dame. He missed, of course, being the ninety-five-pound patriotic asshole that he is even before the suit. The guy said somethin’ I forget what but then Steve threw another punch so the guy put him in a headlock. It would’ve been funny if he wasn’t so sick that a chilly breeze could kill him.”  _

By the end of Bucky’s story, Tony is cackling. “I knew the stories Howard told were bullshit. He’s always been an asshole.”

_ “Yeah, but he’s a pretty decent asshole,” _ Bucky said almost fondly. 

“That’s kinky, Sarge. You still down there or did you head up already?” 

_ “I’m up with Coulson. He’s fangirling over Steve and I’m ready to ruin his day.”  _

“Oh, now I’m interested. Are you going to ruin Spangle’s day or Coulson’s?” 

_ “Yes.”  _

Tony chuckled. He led Loki to Fury and smiled smugly at him before turning on his heels and going to find Bucky. “Yo, Sarge, where are you?” 

_ “Come find me, lazy bitch.”  _

“Now that’s rude, L’oreal.” 

Tony wandered through the carrier, just following hallways and seeing where it would lead him. He was vaguely aware of someone following him but he didn’t pay much mind to it, after all, he did still have his suit on. 

When he finally found Bucky, he was on the bridge, he slapped the back of his head Gibb’s style. “You fucking asshat didn’t bother telling me where you were,” Tony scolded. Bucky scowled and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Gauntlets bitch. Fucking metal against skull hurts more than you think, Stark.” 

“Well, Barnes, I think I would know very well all things considered. On the other hand, flesh doesn’t hurt nearly as bad,” Tony replied. He smirked at Bucky and leaped over the railing when Bucky lunged. “Not today, Satan.” 

“Bucky?” 

Bucky froze, eyes wide and full of panic. Tony grinned at him and shoved at his leg through the railing. Bucky turned and made himself look as confused as possible. “Who the hell is Bucky?” 

Tony fought the grin trying to form on his face. “Yeah Cap, this is James. Better known as Sarge or Barnes.” 

Bucky shot Tony a look that clearly said “I’ll get you for this, asshole.” 

Steve’s face fell and Tony felt bad. “Oh,” Steve said, voice sounding dejected and full of pain. 

“I’m just fuckin’ with ya Stevie.” Bucky grinned and opened his arms wide. Steve, hesitating at first, walked into them and pulled his best friend into a hug. 

“I thought you were dead,” Steve replied sadly. 

“And I thought I told ya not to do anything stupid while I was gone,” Bucky replied, words sharp but tone gentle. “And what do you do? Swan dive a fuckin’ plane into the Atlantic. You coulda at least given Peggs your coordinates.” 

Tony left them alone to work out over seventy years of emotions and headed over to bug someone that won’t kill him. He couldn’t find anyone ten minutes into his search so he called the tower to have something to do. While he was working on that he looked around for the lab. 

Everything was in the same place it was years ago and that was one of the few things Tony found comforting. When no one at the tower answered he chalked it up to them being busy. Tony hooked his phone up to a speaker in the lab and started blasting his playlist. 

The first thing he did in the lab was set everything up to how he liked it: an organized mess. Bruce would always yell at him because of how messy the lab is. He’d get shit from Peter because something was moved from last time and now Peter can’t find it. He hardly cared. He’d show Peter where the item was for the week and make sure he knows where it is. 

Just as he moved the last Allen wrench the doors opened and showed a very disappointed Bruce Banner. “Ah, Doctor Banner, lovely of you to join me on this fine occasion,” Tony replied, rolling over to his phone to pause the music. 

“What happened here? Did a cyclone go through the lab?” 

“Ah, that was me. I had nothing better to do and it seemed to make time go by that much faster. The scepter is right over there if you want to look at it,” Tony said. He rolled his chair, god he loved rolly chairs, over to the center of the room, and pointed to the rather obvious object. 

Bruce walked over to the scepter and inspected it. “What scans did you start running on it?” 

And they fell into their old routine. Time flew by and it wasn’t until something exploded by the propellers that Tony remembered why his kids needed to be there for the fight. He ran from the lab, snatching his phone off the metal table on his way, and moved toward where his suit was being kept. 

“Friday, call everyone.” The front of the suit opened up, allowing him to step inside. 

“I can’t seem to be able to contact anyone,” Friday said after a moment of silence. 

Tony cursed. “Friday, scan the tower for any interference, please, baby girl.” He ran through the helicarrier and toward the third engine. 

“There does not appear to be anything I can detect, boss. The tower is unreachable at the moment.” 

“Shit. Barnes,” Tony spoke, directing his order to the comm. 

_ “What’s up?”  _

“The tower is offline.”

That alone was enough for Bucky’s blood to run cold.  _ “Please tell me this is some sick joke, Stark.”  _

“I wish it was. Friday can’t get through. Fuck, what if Pepper got hurt. Shit, the kids. Barnes, I need to leave.” Tony stopped halfway to the engine. “You and Cap need to protect the other engines make sure they don’t shut those down. I need to go make sure my family is okay.” 

Tony stepped away from the doorway. He needed to make a choice and he needed to make it fast. In the end, his family would always come first. 

_ “Make sure Klaus is okay,”  _ Bucky said. If that wasn’t an okay then Tony didn’t know what was. He flew down a hallway but came to a dead end. After a quick scan to make sure that it wasn’t important, he blasted through it a flew off. Halfway back to the tower he got a call from Fury but sent him straight to voicemail. 

Tony’s world stopped. He hovered in mid-air over what should have been the tower. It was in ruins. “Friday, Friday please scan the rubble for signs of life. I’ll take anything at this point.” Tony was numb. Numb to the pain and numb to the world. If any of his family was killed he was going to strangle Thanos himself. 

“I detect no signs of life. Dum-E, U, and Butterfingers do appear to be trapped but they aren’t operational at the moment. The others appeared to have escaped.” 

“I need that ‘appeared’ to turn into ‘they did’. I need you to do that, baby girl.” Tony flew down to the rumble and picked his way through it. It took him a while before he got to his bots. They looked sad and small parts were broken and cracked. The armor helped him lift them and get them all to safety. 

“They have all escaped. There are no signs of life and no signs of previous life in the wreckage.” 

Tony sighed in relief. Fury’s caller ID popped up on his screen making him burn with white-hot rage. He answered the call without a second thought. “Fury, if this is you telling me to get my ass back there then I will come back but only to kill you. Leave me the hell alone right now. If you can’t tell I am in the middle of something important.” 

_ “Stark, it’s a code green.”  _

“Like I give a shit. My family could be dead and Bruce hulked out. What next? An army of aliens? I’m not coming to help unless you have the only people I care about more than myself. Leave me the hell alone until I find them and call you back.” 

_ “He’s tearing apart the helicarrier, Stark. We’re gonna go down without you here to help.”  _

“Then go down,” Tony growled. “Everyone there can die for all I care. I only have around thirteen people that I truly care about and right now three of them are missing. Everyone that matters to the world is enhanced or smart enough to survive. Land it in the river, it’s the safest choice.” 

Tony hung up the phone without another word. “Boss, don’t you believe that you were a little bit harsh to him?” 

“Maybe I was but that doesn’t mean I care. I have people that are more important than all of them combined, except for Bucky maybe. I have my girlfriend and kids, Fri. They are thousand times more important than them. Open suit block fifty-eight and send it to Rhodey.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“I have never been more sure in my life. Once you do that, scan the city for Klaus, Pepper, Peter, Grace, and Jarvis.” 

The ground below him shook slightly. A silver suit took off into the sky and curved to the left. Friday was silent for a moment before she replied. “The cameras did not see them leave the city but they aren’t on any footage I found. They vanished, boss.” 

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, think rationally. Humans can’t just vanish unless they have powers that did that and none of them did. They could have been taken by a mutant like Quicksilver. Except he isn’t out of Sokovia yet. Fuck me.” Tony started pacing around the rubble. “Fri, please search again. Anyone that looks even remotely close to them, flag it. I’m going to-” Tony turned to face his destroyed home. “Fri, all civilians escaped right?” 

“According to my scans they did.” 

“It was planned.” Tony stared at the rubble in horror. Someone planned all of this and kidnapped his family. An idea came to him and he rooted around in the rubble. To any passerby, it would look like Iron man lost his marbles. Hell, he might have. But that isn’t going to stop him. “Yes!” He pulled out the nano suit reactor and noticed how damaged it was. 

Tony grabbed the reactor and searched until he found the ones he made for his kids. He pocketed the watches and stared down in sorry at the destroyed suit he made for Pepper. It was a light shade of Persian blue. It was designed after one of his older suits but built to be more durable than any other suit he owned, besides his kids’. 

“Friday, scan the city for the last person to exit this building,” Tony said, voice chilled with anger and hatred. “Once you’re done with that call the other six.” 

“On it.” A loading circle showed up in the corner of his screen. It only lasted for a few seconds before a “FAILED” showed up on the screen in red letters. His kids’ caller IDs showed on the screen. It rang. And it rang. And it rang. Tony threw his helmet on the ground like a pouting child and took off for the sky. He didn’t know where he was heading but it was far from there. 

He flew for hours until the reactor ran out of enough energy to power the suit. Then he was eating snow. Friday alerted him that she detected multiple strains and fractures, all of which he ignored. He stood up, slowly and had to struggle out of his suit. It hurt and he was pretty sure he got frostbite in places no human should have. He ended up stealing a kid’s sled and pulling the suit behind him as he stumbled through the snowy town. 

Tony came to a stop at a random house. He knew Pepper would kill him,  _ as long as she isn’t already dead. _ He shook off the voice that whispered that unhelpful bit and picked the lock to the garage. Tony set the suit up on the couch and got to work fixing everything that broke in the fall. The question at this point isn’t what he had to fix but rather what he  _ didn’t _ have to fix. 

He took the arm off and was going through the components when there was a loud clang behind him. “Kid, I’ve lived with an assassin spy supersoldier that weighs like two hundred pounds in pure muscle and he can still be quieter than you,” Tony snapped. He looked up and was met with the barrel of a potato gun. “Cute, but I’ve seen worse.” 

“Won’t make it hurt any less if I decide to pull the trigger,” the kid replied.

“True. Now, can I get back to fixing my suit? My family might be dead and I need to find them.” 

The kid lowered his gun and looked at the suit behind Tony. “Woah, that’s Iron man.” 

“Yep, now, wanna help?” They worked for hours on the suit. Tony didn’t care at this point if the kid’s mother walked in and screamed at him. He was tired, he was cold, and everything hurt. He wanted his kids and his girlfriend back and he was willing to do anything to get it. “Shit.” 

The boy looked up at him curiously. “What?” 

“Dum-E, U, and Butterfingers are sitting by my tower.” 

“You mean that tower?” The kid points to a newspaper that has an image of the tower imploding and collapsing. Tony pulled the paper closer to himself and studied it. It showed the fuzziest image of a man in the background. 

“Friday, can you enhance that image to four thousand percent and clear the resolution two-fifty?” Tony held the suit hand over the picture so Friday could get a good shot of it. Once she did what Tony said she projected it to the closest wall. “Thanks, baby girl. Could you zoom in on the guy please?” The image zoomed in on the man. 

He was dressed in all black with a hat pulled low over his face. Tony felt a sense of deja vu and he didn’t like it. “B… B-bozz my signal iz being ja… jammed,” Friday’s voice faded out just as she finished what she was saying. 

The projection changed. _It showed a Muslim man with two women on his sides. There was a symbol behind him that Tony couldn’t make out. “Tony Stark. It’s lovely to talk to you. I hope you understand that this isn’t personal, no, you just pissed off the wrong people. Consider this a warning. Leave us alone or they die.” It cut to a scene where his kids were blindfolded and lined up in front of a wall, all of their hands tied behind their backs. The gun cocks and the only that doesn’t stiffen is Five._

_ “Give us fifty million and the blueprints to your arc reactor and we’ll talk about releasing them.”  _

Tony ripped the arm off his suit and threw it at the wall. It fell to the floor with a loud clang and left a small dent in the wall. “Kid, do you have any whiskey?” 

“My name is Harley, not kid. And no, mom doesn’t buy whiskey,” Harley said. Tony groaned and buried his head in his hands. 

“Great, just great. My family’ll probably get themselves killed because they’re dumbasses and I can’t even drink away the pain. Go do something, I need to sleep.” Tony stood and pushed the suit off the small couch without any remorse. Harley stood and walked into the house without another word. Tony didn’t listen to himself when he said he needed sleep. He laid on the couch, worrying about the what if’s and just wondered if there truly was a God above. 

Sure, Klaus said there was but would she allow everything like this to happen? He knows his situation isn’t bad compared to some, but why would God allow all this if they’re supposed to care so much? If they can’t even take care of their children then why did they create them? If God is too harsh to fee any regret then why should he want to go to heaven when he dies? 

All of these thoughts flit through his mind at a million miles per minute and leaves him restless. He tosses and turns all night, leading to no sleep. The next morning he was restless and remembered his poor bots he left to the mercy of the elements. The first thing he did was ask Friday to pull up footage of New York. The next thing he did was regret it. 

The city was in shambles. Buildings were destroyed and decimated, much like his tower. There were alien parts littering the city and embedded in some buildings. He felt bile rise in his throat when he thought of all the casualties. His view was obstructed by an incoming transmission. 

From the looks of it, it was a worldwide broadcast from the person that hacked Friday the night before. The scene opened up to show him sitting in his chair with the two women on either side of him. 

_ “Tony Stark, isn’t it time the world knows your most kept secret? I was taking care of these fine young adults when one of them tried to pull something.” The camera panned over to where Tony’s seven oldest were tied on their knees. Five glared at the camera but didn’t seem to have the energy to do much more.  _

_ Luther’s restraints had been reinforced and pulled tight enough that there was redness around his wrists. Klaus looked like he had been drugged up to high Heaven. Allison was gagged and Vanya had what looked to be noise-canceling headphones on. Ben's stomach had a steel plate over it. Diego’s hands looked like they had been burnt and were currently wrapped together in cloth.  _

_ “He didn’t want the world to know something important, something that could change the outcome of everything. They are the Umbrella Academy. He pulled the wool over our eyes by keeping these dangers unknown. Who’s to say they won’t turn on us? Why should he be the one in control of them when he is clearly biassed. Do what you will with this information. Until next time.”  _

The hologram went black. Tony dropped to his knees, tears silently running down his face. He stayed frozen like that for a while. Time seemed to stand still and for that he was grateful. He was pulled out of his daze by a light touch on his shoulder. When he looked it was Harley holding a steaming cup. 

“I figured you’d want something to drink. It’s not whiskey but it should help a bit,” the kid said sheepishly. Tony managed a weak smile that had to look more like a grimace and grabbed the cup gratefully. 

“Thanks, kid.” Tony moved so he was sitting instead of kneeling and took a small sip of the coffee. It tasted like shit but Harley reminded him of Peter and it was bittersweet when his brain decided to make that connection. He took another sip and held back a grimace. “Where’s your mom? I haven’t seen her since she arrived.” 

“She’s getting groceries,” Harley replied a little too quickly. Tony narrowed his eyes but didn’t press. 

“I need to make some repairs to my new suit, wanna help?” Harley’s eyes lit up like Tony just offered him candy. Tony set the mug down, stood, and grabbed the small reactor from his pile of stuff. “This is a nanite charger. It’s powered by my reactor technology but it isn’t fully finished. The nanites don’t want to interlock fully and they keep leaving small gaps, not huge, just big enough for a well-aimed bullet to get through. I need to fix the connection sequence and update how they interlock,” Tony explained. Harley nodded along and helped him fix it. 

They worked for hours, ignoring anything that wasn’t fixing the suit. When it was done Tony had Friday call Rhodey. 

“Hey, honey bear,” Tony grinned. 

_ “What the hell Tones? Where have you been? Have you seen the news recently? How did he find out about their powers? Who even is he?”  _

“Well, first I would like you to know that there are young impressionable ears present in the form of an eleven-year-old. Second, I am in Tennessee, don’t ask. Yes, I saw the video if that’s what you’re meaning if not then no. I would assume Allison tried to rumor him or Klaus brought up something about him that only the dead would know. As for the last question I have no clue. My tower got blown up…” Tony trailed off and looked at the kid. 

“Three days now, I think,” Harley supplied. 

“Three days then. No bodies were found except for Dum-E, Butterfingers, and U. Please tell me they didn’t go to Goodwill.” 

_ “No, I found them after the battle and the team helped me take them back to my place. They’re really heavy I’ll have you know. Thanks for the suit by the way, but I hope you know that the government is going to tear it apart.”  _

“And that is why I created it so that they can only see the basic functions without knowing that it’s holding back. It will only fully respond to me and Friday or Jarvis. Anyways, I need help. Don’t tell Fury because he’s a dick-sorry kid- and probably having everyone debrief or something.” 

_ “Yeah, he’s having them debrief. He was a little pissed that you just left but his entire demeanor changed when he saw the broadcast. He sent agents out to locate where the signal came from but hasn’t been successful. Don’t worry, Tones, I don’t trust him more than I could throw him. What do you need?”  _

“I located where the broadcast came from and I need you to help me take him down. They were all drugged or something otherwise they would’ve fought back. Bring Sergeant Barnes if you can, don’t interrupt if he and Cap are honeymooning though I don’t want you to be scarred for life.” 

_ “I think he and the Captain are far from that. While we were fighting the aliens he kept yelling at him about how bad his form was and how terrible a shot he was when he missed, which barely happened. Captain Rogers did the same and even threatened to throw Barnes off the roof of one building if he didn’t shut up.”  _

“They were totally flirting. I bet Cap was checking out Sarge more than he was taking out aliens. I just hope he doesn’t plan on kidnapping him because Klaus will not be happy to have his bodyguard taken away.” 

_ “Tony, I hate what goes on inside your head. Send me the rendezvous and I’ll meet you there and we’ll go together from that point.”  _

“Cool, I’ll have Friday send them. Bye Rhody, love you.” 

_ “Love you too, Tones.”  _

“This is goodbye, kid.” Tony stood and stretched. “You can keep the suit though.” He jabbed his finger over his shoulder at the offending suit. It was powered down with a light blue glow coming from the chest. “Call SI at any time and inform the operator that you’re the Mechanic’s Little Helper and you’ll be forwarded straight to me no matter what.” 

“I’m not calling myself that,” Harley scowled. Tony shrugged and placed his reactor on his chest. The nanites clung to his shirt and held it tight. Two taps brought the nanites flowing over his body and forming the suit around him. “Do you really have to go?” 

“Well duh, I can’t take you with me and risk you getting killed. Don’t look at me like that you would get killed. I’ll answer anytime you call okay? Maybe sometime in the future, we can set up a time with your mom for you to come up and hang out for a while. I really need to go now.” 

Harley looked at the floor sadly. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked up at Tony. Tony groaned when he noticed unshed tears. “You’re the closest thing I have to a dad. Mine went to the gas station ten years ago and hasn’t come back since.” 

“You’re trying to guilt-trip me,” Tony accused. 

“Is it working?” He looked hopeful, breaking the charade. 

“It was. Next time try not to bring your dad into it. Here.” Tony shuffled around the room to find something to write with. He wrote his personal number on it and handed it over. “Don’t lose that and don’t give it to any of your little friends. I already have enough eleven-year-olds calling me every day.” 

Harley smiled and pocketed the paper. “Alright, mechanic, I can live with this compromise. Don’t get yourself killed so I have a chance to use it.” Tony saluted him with two fingers, opened the garage door, and took off. He flew for hours with his mind racing. It kept coming back to the fact that he was going to save his family. 

He got to the rendezvous point and explained the small plan that he was able to come up with on the flight over. Rhodey nodded and they bother took off. When they got to where the signal came from they broke into the building without hesitation. They threatened a guy who claimed he was just an actor and almost killed him until he gave the location of the real person that was behind everything. 

They broke into a different building with the lack of hesitation from before and shot anything that moved. It was never fatal until Tony found a familiar face. Aldrich Killian. That time he did shoot to kill. He saw red and every weapon was aimed at him. He trusted Killian as a business partner and respected the work he did. 

He knew as soon as he saw him that it was his idea, like all the puzzle pieces clicking together. The man was down in a matter of seconds. Rhodey headed farther into the building and Tony checked the doors that were in the room. They led to rooms straight from nightmares. 

Metal tables with robots hovering threateningly over them. A room with serums in a glass container. That was destroyed without hesitation. Another room held a giant machine that looked like it was out of a film studio. 

_ “Tones, I found them. They don’t look so good.”  _

Tony broke down every wall between him and his family. A red substance was running under Pepper’s and Peter’s skin. Klaus looked high and like he was going to be sick at any moment. Vanya and Diego didn’t look much better. Ben and Luther looked relatively unharmed aside from a red twinge to their skin. Five looked the worst. His pale skin looked red almost as if he was severely sunburnt. His hands were glowing blue but nothing was happening to him. There was sweat beaded on his forehead and running down. Five’s eyes were clamped shut, whether out of pain or concentration Tony didn’t know. 

“Where are Jarvis and Grace?” 

“I didn’t find them yet. Tony, he may have taken them apart after he figured out they weren’t human.” 

Tony shook his head vehemently. He didn’t believe that they were killed, they couldn’t have been. “Friday, scan for them.” The loading circle showed up on his screen. Two objects were highlighted in red three rooms over. Tony blasted the walls down and came face to face with a horrifying sight. 

Both androids were sprawled on the floor, the wall keeping them up slightly. Grace’s skin had been removed on her face and arms to reveal her inner workings while Jarvis was cut on his stomach and legs. They were reaching over to each other as if seeking comfort from their torture. Tony fell to his knees and cried.

He cried for his creations, his kids, his girlfriend. He cried form them all because it was his fault. If they hadn’t been involved with him then none of this would have happened. Pepper and Peter wouldn’t have whatever the hell running through their veins. Five wouldn’t look like he was holding onto the last shred of life he had. And Vanya, Klaus, and Diego wouldn’t have been drugged to hell and back. Ben and Luther wouldn’t have been hurt, their powers cut off from them. 

None of this would have happened if he didn’t get involved with them all. Once the tears stopped flowing he steeled himself to work something better out. Something that would keep them all from getting hurt. He picked himself up and grabbed both androids, carefully avoiding the open wounds. When he walked back into the room with Rhodey he was met with a watery gasp.

“Call Fury. Tell him we found them and need an extraction team,” Tony spoke, voice raw with emotions and strained from crying minutes before. The team cam an hour later, led by Natasha and Clint. 

Both spies took a moment to assess the situation before calling in the rest of their team. They helped the kids to their feet and made room to lay down the bodies of two of Tony’s greatest creations. Once Grace and Jarvis were laid down carefully Tony retracted the suit and helped Pepper to her feet. He supported her weight and sat beside her while a medical team looked her over. 

Natasha and Clint disappeared for a while. They came back just before the chopper took off with arms full of files and boxes filled with god knows what. They were dropped off and Shield headquarters and looked after while Tony prepared a place for them to stay. He read through the files at night and debated several times whether or not he should just burn them. It was painful and tedious to read through what happened to his family. 

They were experimented on like guinea pigs. Poked and prodded to see how far their abilities stretched. Then injected when they got out of hand. They were injected with a drug called Extremis that Killian developed. It gave the holder inhuman abilities but sated them long enough to be restrained. 

Based on Tony’s knowledge Pepper and Peter were the most affected because they didn’t have any special abilities. Luther and Ben metabolized the drug faster than they could inject it. Five was using his powers to metabolize it faster than normal and Tony reasoned that was why he looked the worst. Vanya, Klaus, and Diego, on the other hand, didn’t have special abilities to speed up their metabolism. They were affected almost the same as Pepper and Peter aside from how it interacted with their powers. 

Tony set up the cabin him and Pepper lived in in the future and made plans to fix the old military building he owned courtesy of Howard. They moved in the week and worked out treatments with Doctor Cho and Doctor Banner. Grace and Jarvis were fixed soon after.


	19. 2012-2013

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter is finally done. It is no where near the monster that was the last chapter but I’m pretty happy with it. Please forgive any spelling and grammar issues I’m currently typing on my tablet and it doesn’t have Grammarly and I really don’t plan on adding it because I’m 90% sure it hates me. Anyway, enjoy and remember comments and kudos make my day <3

**2012**

Fury allowed them to stay in the Shield headquarters while Tony was getting everything ready. Tony made sure his family was being taken care of in the medical wing before he allowed himself to relax. He called Bruce only a few hours after coming to the base because he wanted the other scientist to help the doctors figure the Extremis thing out. 

He worked on Grace’s and Jarvis’s bodies just enough to make them operational, which was a sight to be seen, in-between visits to his family. Once both of them could move without malfunctioning he spent more time in the hospital with them. They would stand by and watch over everyone while they slept and comforted him when he couldn’t be by their side. 

They stayed for a week before everyone was cleared to head home to continue treatments. Tony set them up with the cabin he remembered from the future. It was out of the way and surrounded by nature, perfect for everyone but him. He enjoyed nature sure, but it was nothing like being down in his lab designing something new, or fixing anything he could get his hands on. 

When the children were younger Tony once was so bored that he worked on their toaster. It was a disaster. He didn’t listen when Jarvis told him not to add extra spring to it and ended up sending toast flying across the kitchen. He also didn’t listen when Jarvis said that the toaster didn’t need to have spikes or the ability to be used as a weapon. Five appreciated when he saw it. 

Tony called a remodeling crew and sent them down to the base to work on it. He would sometimes check in himself to see how it was going, but that was few and far between. His days in the lab were limited, after all, he had to take care of his family. Sometimes he would find himself watching Bruce work or helping Helen with something small. It wasn’t often but they always enjoyed his company. 

It took almost an entire year before the Extremis was removed completely and everyone was operational. They still suffered, sure, but they had each other to lean back on. 

Diego became deathly afraid of needles, passing out every time he saw one. When he was still early in the recovery stage he had to be restrained by the suits to keep him from attacking Dr. Cho. It wasn’t pretty. His hands were raw for the longest time causing Tony to worry if they would ever heal properly. 

Klaus refused to put anything in his body that he didn’t know where it came from. That included antibiotics. His healing process took the longest because he would go into fits and cause ghosts to become corporeal. He’d have panic attacks anytime he would be in a crowded space or when everything is silent. He no longer likes to take the pills Tony created to block out the ghosts because he doesn’t want to be powerless like he was before. 

Vanya can’t stand loud or sudden noises. She’d jump anytime something falls or if someone sneezes. She doesn’t like having anything covering her ears to block out sounds or noises and can’t stand the quiet. She would spend more time playing her violin than doing anything once she healed. 

Five couldn’t handle anything restraining him. Whether that be a hug or a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Whatever Killian put him through has caused him to develop an aversion to touch. He tensed when Tony laid a hand on his shoulder and only relaxed once it was gone. 

Luther hated his strength. He refused to use it for the longest time, refused to even acknowledge that he even had it. What was the point when he wasn’t even strong enough to save his siblings? He’d spend his days in his room or with Ben. He chose the quiet places that he could isolate himself. 

Allison doesn’t like anything covering her mouth. It’ll send her into a panic and cause her fight or flight instincts to kick in. When Helen first tried to put her under anesthesia she got punched in the face then almost rumored. Friday was able to cut in before that could happen. 

Ben’s eldritch creatures were angry. They didn’t cooperate no matter how much he tried. The tentacles either wouldn’t come out, or they would rip something to shreds. He tried talking to them, letting them know that he didn’t do it on purpose but they didn’t listen. Ben had to start wearing shirts that didn’t fully cover his stomach because if he did then the tentacles would be infuriated. It took him a whole year before he could wear actual shirts. 

Peter suffered from PTSD. Most nights he would sleep in Tony and Pepper’s bed, snuggled between them. He would wake up from nightmares he couldn’t remember with feelings he couldn’t forget. He became extremely clingy to everyone he could latch onto and not leave their side the entire day. 

Pepper would wake from dreams in a cold sweat. She wouldn’t be able to fully remember what it was about but she would know that she was terrified. The ones she did remember were always ones where she had to watch her kids be tortured, some ending in their deaths. She still had some side effects of the Extremis, like her body running hotter than normal. 

Tony would imagine scenarios that he didn’t make it in time. That he wasn’t able to save them all or takedown Killian in time. That Rhodey was killed because his suit wasn’t advanced enough and Killian sent out soldiers that were tortured with the Extremis. That Pepper wasn’t strong enough to fight it and succumbed to her injuries. Peter, too young to have any right to be in that situation, was given too strong a dose and didn’t wake up. These were the things that plagued him, no matter the time, no matter the situation. 

Grace and Jarvis were the least affected. That isn’t to say that they weren’t affected. Grace has to double-check that everyone is safely sleeping in their rooms and will often come back multiple times throughout the night to make sure they’re still there. Jarvis would hold Grace closer to himself and will often make sure she is charging properly. Tony hooked him up to the mainframe to soothe some of his anxieties about someone hacking in again. 

When everyone was fully functional Tony went back to his normal hours in the lab. It wasn’t the same as before where he could lose himself in programming and building but it was still just as relaxing. He had Friday keep constant surveillance on everyone and would occasionally have her pull up to feed to see for himself. 

He partly blamed himself for what happened. Okay, well that’s a lie. He completely blamed himself even though he couldn’t have seen it coming. People say you shouldn’t change things in the past and him knowing what happened in the future changed things in the past. Sometimes he would talk to Five about how he felt but he mostly kept it inside. Five seemed to understand the guilt of things not happening correctly. It was a bit refreshing but he felt awful putting the weight on his kid. 

Rhodey told him to get a therapist. He did, just not for himself. He hired several for everyone that was captured, including Grace and Jarvis because they are people too. They would alternate the days they came. Altogether there were five therapists with two to three patients in the family. They had specified days they came in and worked with different people on those days. Grace and Jarvis didn’t need theirs as much partly because their code didn’t allow for guilt. 

Pepper talked to him one night, convinced him to talk to one of them. 

“Hi, Mister Stark, my name is Missy. Before we start actual sessions I would like to go over the baselines,” the brunette woman smiled sweetly at him before glancing down at her clipboard. “I understand this is your first therapy session, is that correct?” 

Tony drummed his fingers on his knee anxiously. “Yeah. Rhodey’s been bugging me about it for a while now.” 

“Is that why you’re here now?” 

Tony let out a fake laugh. “No, actually. It was Pepper that convinced me. Rhodey can do a lot of things but convincing me to get self-help is not one.” 

Missy frowned and wrote something down. “I’m sorry if my writing makes you nervous in any way. It’s a requirement to write stuff down to get a baseline for what we need to cover.” 

“It’s okay, I’m used to people writing while I’m talking. Usually, they’re taking notes on what I’m saying so it’s not far off,” Tony said. He continued to drum his fingers lightly. 

“So, I have questions on this paper that I’m going to ask and I need an honest answer for them.” She smiled again and Tony relaxed slightly. He nodded his affirmation for her to begin her questioning. “Okay, so your name is Anthony Stark. Your gender is male, correct?”

“Yes,” Tony confirmed. When he was hiring the therapists he made sure to hire the ones that were pro LGBT+ specifically for his kids. He didn’t want any of them to feel like they had to keep anything hidden. 

“Okay. Your parents were Howard and Maria Stark. What do you like about yourself?” 

“Cosmetically or personally?” 

“Either or,” she replied, her smile dropping slightly. 

“I guess that I can design anything I want and figure out a way to build it.” 

This time her smile dropped completely. “Is that it?” Tony just replied with a shrug. “We’ll have to work on that.” 

The questioning continued for a while longer, eventually ending when the forty-five-minute mark hit. Missy stood and brushed off her skirt. She extended a hand out for Tony to shake and made him another appointment for the next week. 

When she left he went straight down to his lab to work on Jarvis and Grace’s new bodies. He called them down after a while to get their input and asked them how they would feel about having their consciences uploaded to the house. 

They agreed and soon their bodies were nothing except scrap metal and extra parts. Tony made a note to talk to the Wakandan king at some point about their Vibranium but he would have to make a plan on that. Jarvis and Grace offered their input as Tony designed the bodies to their liking. 

He’d have to wait for them to be loaded into their new bodies before he could start designing their surprise. The weeks passed quickly, all three AIs keeping watch over Tony and making sure he doesn’t spend too much time in the lab. Soon one month turned into two which turned into three. When the three and a half month mark hit he finally had the bodies done and ready to be operated. It didn’t take long for both of them to be fully operational again. 

By that time everything was ready at the compound so they packed everything up and loaded it onto several Quinjets to be transported. When they got there Tony gave them a tour of the place. It was exactly like he wanted it and he couldn’t have been happier. 

“Tony,” Pepper spoke up when they were on their way up to the third floor. “Do we really need a building this big for all of us? It has over twenty bedrooms and bathrooms.” 

Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I have big plans Pep.” 

“I hope you don’t mean more children.” Pepper ran a hand over her flat stomach. “I don’t think my figure could handle that.” 

Tony laughed. “Don’t worry, Pep, it’s not like that. I was hoping I could convince the Avengers to move in someday. After everyone is better of course.” 

Pepper nodded and leaned into him. “Well, I think that would be a great idea but you have to bond with them before asking them to move in. It would be weird if you just asked them to move into your house after knowing them all for less than twenty-four hours.” 

Tony groaned and buried his head in her shoulder. “You’re right, as always. I hope Sarge put in a good word with Capsicle because the old-timer might be harder to convince.” 

“Tony, I know that the nicknames are your thing and you think they’re endearing but they really aren’t,” Pepper said. 

“Okay,  _ Virginia. _ Would you rather me call you that, Virginia?” 

Pepper groaned. “You are awful. The nicknames are fine up until a point. I don’t think Captain Rogers likes being referred to as a Capsicle.” 

“I’ll think of something else but I can’t promise it’ll be as endearing.” 

They stepped out of the elevator, unaware that Friday kept the doors closed so they could finish talking. The kids headed up first to pick out their rooms. No matter how old they have gotten, they’re all ten-year-olds at heart. Yelling could be heard down a hallway and Tony was almost a hundred percent sure he heard knives being thrown. He pulled Pepper down on the couch with him and snuggled into her side. 

She ran a hand through his hair causing him to drift into a light sleep. He was woken up by movement on his left. When he turned to look, Peter had grabbed one of his blankets from his bed and was cuddling into Tony’s side. He looked up at Pepper’s beautiful face and studied her for a moment. 

Tony wasn’t keen on sleeping on the couch so he moved to stand, shifting Peter from his half-sleep, and picked Pepper up bridal style to carry her to their room. Peter followed sleepily with his blanket dragging behind him. 

The next morning Tony was awake before everyone else so he decided to make breakfast. It wouldn’t be as good as Grace’s pancakes but at least it was something. But first, he needed coffee. The smell of freshly brewed coffee put him on high alert. 

He tapped his gauntlet watch and held it like a police officer would hold their gun. Tony walked around the corner gauntlet first and was getting ready to shoot when he noticed a familiar head of brown hair. 

“Sarge?” 

Bucky turned with a sly grin. “Nope, try again.” 

“How the hell did you get up here?” 

Bucky shrugged and grabbed a mug from the counter. “Fri let me up. Steve’s downstairs looking at all the rooms and wondering why the hell you need them all.” 

“Ah, well, the thing is,” Tony stumbled over the words. He went to rub the back of his neck but decided that he would like to keep his head, thank you very much. The gauntlet retracted and freed his hand. “I was hoping that the Avengers could all move in someday. It would be a while because everyone here is still trying to heal from what that jackass did to them but I was hoping sometime time in the next few years.” 

Bucky sipped his coffee and raised his eyebrows over the top of the cup. “You want the people you baled on to move into here?” 

Tony stiffened. “I didn’t bale, Barnes. I was saving what was most important to me,” he snarled. 

“I know, sorry. I’m just a little pissed you told Fury that you didn’t care if we all died. I thought we were friends.” 

Tony walked over to the kitchen island and sat on top of it, completely ignoring the four empty barstools. “Fri may have been right, I was a little harsh with Fury.” 

“May have?” Friday called out. Tony groaned and buried his head in his hands. 

“Fine, fine. Friday was right. I didn’t mean what I said but I was just under a lot of pressure and standing on the place that once was my home with no idea where my family could have been. I’m sorry for saying that shit.” 

Bucky waved him off with his metal arm. “It’s fine, Stark. I understand. If I was in the same situation with my family or Steve was in the position then I probably would have said the same things. I’m not the one you should apologize to, though. Fury deserves a thank you or something.” 

“Yeah, I’ll make him a fruit basket,” Tony replied blandly. “Can you pour me a cup?” Bucky nodded and started to root around for another mug. Everything wasn’t unpacked yet so he had to do some digging. “So, how’s it going with you and Wonder Boy?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Don’t play dumb with me, Barnes. It’s not a good look on you.” Tony jumped off the counter and found the box labeled ‘dishes’, pulling out a mug he shot Bucky a cheeky smile. “Alright, ice-pop, go sit and I’ll make enough food to feed an army.” 

“Don’t try to make pancakes because yours taste like shit,” Bucky said. He walked around the island and sat down on a chair as any reasonable human would. “Oh, and try not to burn anything, the smell lingers forever and supersenses really suck.” 

Tony pulled a skillet out of another box and a spatula out of yet another. He set both on the stove and set to work. “Not to worry, I was trained to cook by my mother and Eddy. There will only be a small kitchen fire that Dum-E will have the pleasure of putting out with his ever loved extinguisher.” 

“I really hope you’re joking,” a female voice comments. Tony looks up from his food and grins at the newcomer. 

“You’ll just have to wait and find out,” he quips. Pepper groans and walks further into the room. She takes a seat beside Bucky and strikes up a conversation with him. Almost an hour passes before Tony can finally start plating the food. “Fri, could you please blast Bubblegum Bitch at the highest setting into all of the kids’ rooms except Peter’s? He can be woken up gentler. Oh, and Vanya too. Wake her up with classical, start quietly and steadily get louder until she’s awake.” 

“On it boss.” 

Pepper frowned at Tony disapprovingly. “Really Tony?” 

“Yes, Pep. That song is a masterpiece that needs to be enjoyed by everyone in this household.” 

“What happened to AC/DC? I thought they were your favorite,” Pepper spoke. Tony frowned at her. 

“I can’t believe you would even think of comparing one of the greatest bands of all time to this modern shit. How could you? I am extremely disappointed in you, Pep. Fri, could you tell Sarge’s boyfriend to get his ass up here?” 

The sound of music could be heard throughout their floor. Tony made a mental note to upgrade the soundproofing. The elevator doors opened just as six very disgruntled kids and two, not disgruntled kids walked into the room. The faint sound of music cut out just as soon as everyone was in the room. 

Luther glared over at his father, who by the way, was looking way too innocent for the shit he pulled. “Next time I’m waking you up with that bullshit. I didn’t want to be woken up by that at ten in the fucking morning. Your AC/DC privileges should be revoked.” 

Tony gasped dramatically and held the pink spatula up to his chest. “You want to take away my lifeline? I will publicly disown you. I can’t stand that kind of negativity in my life. I wake you up with good music and this is the thanks I get. Despicable.” 

Ben shook his head disapprovingly. “You’re the despicable one. Playing pop shit this early. Scared the eldritch into killing Snuffles.” 

“Oh, shit. Do you want us to hold a funeral for Snuffles later today? Sarge could officiate seeing as he gave you Snuffles. It’ll give you time to say any last words,” Tony teased. 

“Well, thanks to you, there isn’t a body to be buried. Only guts. There’s also a head. That’s going on a stick and being hidden in your lab, watch out,” Ben snapped. Tony suppressed a smile. Steve looked between them all in horrified silence. 

“What the hell did I walk into?” 

Tony twirled around and pointed his spatula at him. “Today is a day of mourning. We have lost one of our own.” Tony lowered the spatula and paced the little area behind the island. “He was a good man, a good soldier. He survived two years and an explosion. Friendly fire is what took him out. Snuffles didn’t have any kids to succeed him or a spouse to mourn him. He was a lone wolf, quite literally. He will be missed dearly,” Tony intoned dramatically. “Vanya if you could please.” 

Vanya walked over to a box with her stuff in it and rooted around until she pulled out her violin case. She took a moment to put it together before starting to play taps. By the end of it, breakfast was cold and Tony was fake crying. She put her violin down mournfully. 

“I hate you all,” Ben said. He grabbed an omelet and moved over to the table. Tony passed out the plates based on the proportions he put on them. Ben, Luther, Bucky, and Steve had the biggest. Five, Allison, and Vanya had smaller, a lot smaller. While everyone else had normal amounts. 

They ate in relative silence, Steve still reeling from Tony’s speech, and finished quickly. Tony took the plates to the sink to be washed at a later time. “Well, I suppose you all should see the lower floors. This place has three basements, each lower than the last, and has enough storage for the entirety of SI’s New York base to work from. Don’t worry, Pep, they won’t. I’m currently rebuilding the tower, not as tall, sadly, for all the workers that lost their jobs due to the bombing.” 

“You made sure to help with the cleanup right?” Pepper put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I sent out money for relief but I didn’t really have the time to send out suits or anything seeing as you lot were in the hospital trying not to die,” Tony said, voice hardening toward the end. “I’ve done my best with the little time that I had. Besides, I’m more than positive that I’ll have a bigger role in the next alien invasion. I’ll clean up then. Almost everyone was safely recovered and the kids were placed in the best foster homes and group homes that I could find. I feel like they would make a great addition to the family,” Tony replied cheekily. 

Pepper smiled sweetly and walked over to him. She rested her palms on his chest before running them up to wrap her arms around his neck. Pepper pecked his lips sweetly before whispering “If you do then I’ll get you castrated so we can’t have any kids of our own,” just low enough for him to hear. 

A shiver ran down his spine. “Fine, fine. No more adopted kids. Besides, I have all that I need. Adopted that is.” 

Tony pulled away before she had time to recover and slap at him. He jumped over the island and grabbed a new spatula to use to shield himself. Pepper stared at him passively for a moment and just took a moment to take in the ridiculous scene in front of her. Tony Stark with a Black Sabbath t-shirt and a green spatula held out as a defense. 

She pressed her palms together and rested her forehead on her fingertips. “Ladies, gentlemen, and Klaus, my boyfriend Tony Stark. Genus, billionaire, philanthropist.” 

After that little show, Steve was slightly horrified but he came around often enough with Bucky. Well, more like Bucky dragged him back to the compound often enough. Sometimes Natasha would tag along but it wouldn’t be often that it’d happen. 

The first time she came to visit she was dragged along with Steve. Friday alerted Tony to the car pulling in front of the compound so he was able to greet them on the first floor. He sent Steve and Bucky up to the third floor and offered to show Natasha around. 

They went through the entire building. Natasha nodded passively every time Tony explained something and didn’t show much emotion. When Tony showed her to the dance studio her eyes lit up like a kid on christmas. She did well to hide her excitement otherwise though. 

After the tour they went up to the third floor and came across a sight Tony never thought he would see. Diego and Luther were wrestling which wasn’t anything new. Steve looked mildly distressed while Klaus cheered them on. Peter was watching contedetly while licking a mixer beater on the couch. Bucky stood in front of the stove with a pink apron and covered in flour with Allison cackling beside him, also covered in flour. 

Pepper looked mildly annoyed but she was really just trying to hide a smile. Vanya and Ben were talking amiably while scraping the sides of a metal bowl that had chocolate batter. Five was also licking a beater. That alone gave him enough reason to stop in the doorway and stare. It took him a moment to take everything in. 

Natasha patted him on the shoulder as she walked past and perched herself on the arm of the couch. She watch Diego and Luther wrestle for a few more moments before she broke it up and showed them proper forms for what they were trying to do. Tony sighed and walked over to the kitchen area. 

“Sarge, what happened?” 

Bucky looked over at him as he was stirring something in a pot. “Well, I made chocolate cupcakes with butterscotch chips and offered the beaters and the bowl to whoever wanted it. Those two idiots decided to fight over the bowl so Ben and Vanya took it while they weren’t looking and have been talking since. Peter was the first to get a beater because he’s the youngest. I decided to make a caramel sauce for apples or some shit and accidentally destroyed a bag of flour Allison has been cackling ever since. As for Steve, he still isn’t used to your family and their  _ unique _ way of handling things.” 

Tony grabbed a glass and poured himself some orange juice. “It’s not the family’s way of handling things, just theirs.” 

On New Years Eve they went to times square to watch the ball drop. It was a pain maneuvering through the crowds and several times Tony wondered if those kid leashes would be a good investment. The pros heavily outweigh the cons. 

It was beautiful that night. A slight chill in the air causes everyone’s faces to be light pink. Dave, Sissy, and Patrick came that night with them. When the ball dropped at midnight Tony pulled Pepper in for a kiss as fireworks exploded around them. 

**2013**

Tony has been working for months now. He’d stay up late in his lab to finish writing the code. Often, Five and Peter would help him but it still took as long. Tony took as much time as he could working on the code and making sure nothing was wrong. When he finished it was late at night. Close to three if Friday was correct, and she was. 

He woke up the next morning to see a minor flaw in the code. He couldn’t find it at first but after a couple of moments of searching he noticed what happened. The code mutated itself to duplicate when run. He questioned it for hours after that, not quite sure how the  _ hell _ it happened. 

He even had Friday run tests on his software to see if he had any viruses. Nothing came up and honestly should he be surprised any more? Probably not. Is he still? Yeah, he’s still shocked that it happened. But more shocking things have happened. Like Wakanda being the most technologically advanced country in the world after being closed off since what seemed to be the beginning of time and pretending to be poor. 

Tony gave up at that point. He took a few more months to build an extra body because whatever the hell happened and bam there are twins now. The second body wasn’t quite like the first. He didn’t have enough time to build a full body so it looked like a silver skeleton with a muscular system. 

Five and Peter came down moments before he was ready to run the code and load it into the bodies. “Mom and Aunt Pep says it’s time for you to get your ass upstairs and spend time with everyone,” Five informed. He cast his gaze around the lab and stopped on the two bodies on the cots. He turned back with a raised eyebrow. 

“What?” 

“So, twins?” 

“Yes, twins. They’re my first grandchildren and I love them. So what if I didn’t fix the code.” 

“Timeline. Pete, could you go tell them that we’ll be up in a moment? Dad and I need to talk.” Five looked down at his younger brother with something akin to fondness. “It won’t take long,” he reassured when Peter hesitated. 

“Okay.” Peter skipped up the stairs and through the hallway. Five turned back to face Tony with a vehement glare. 

“You can’t change the timeline.” 

“Look, Vision would have been created at a later time. Ultron was a project I was working on a while ago, or in the future, whatever. It was canceled because the code was unstable. Now that I have more time to work on both and they’re a mixture of Grace and Jarvis instead of just Jarvis I have more hope for them.” 

Five’s glare softened. “Whatever. Just hope the Commision doesn’t notice this and attacks us. I don’t think they can deal with another attack after being tortured for days.” 

Tony nodded. He wrapped an arm around Five’s shoulders and together they walked up the stairs. The rest of the night was spent with everyone laughing so hard they were close to tears. 

Tony brought Grace and Jarvis down to his lab the next day. He wanted them to be the first people Vision and Ultron saw. He hooked thick wires to the backs of their skulls and uploaded the code into them. 

It was a little over three minutes before the first one opened his eyes. He looked around the lab before stopping on Grace and Jarvis, both of which looked close to tears. His head tilted to the side as he stared at them. 

The silver body beside him stirred causing everyone’s attention to shift. Ultron opened his eyes and studied the entire lab. His eyes landed on Grace and Jarvis for a moment before he jumped to his feet. 

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold your horses.” Tony held both hands out in front of him as he walked toward them. “It’s good that you’re standing and all but let me unhook you both before you start planning on taking over the world or something.” 

Ultron gave him a questioning stare but complied, not moving until he was fully disconnected. Once both of them were free, Tony left the room to let them bond. He waited up in the living room until Grace came in with the biggest smile he’s seen on her face in a long time. 

“Tony, thank you so much. I know it took a while but I couldn’t be happier. I love them already,” Grace said, eyes glistening in the light. 

Tony stood up from his chair and pulled her into a tight hug. “Grace, you and Jarvis are family. I would do anything for both of you. No matter how long it may take and who I have to kill to make it happen. I want you both to be happy and healthy.” 

Grace pulled away and pecked him on the cheek. “I’m glad that you’re my family. You have taken such good care of me.” 

Tony pulled away and rested both hands on her shoulders. “Gracie, you deserve the world and then some. No matter how I would have coded you, you would still be a sweet and caring mother figure. I programmed you after my mother but you have become so much more than her. You have become your own person and every day I wonder what would have happened to me if my mother was more like you.” 

Grace hugged him again, tighter this time. He pulled her close to him and breathed in her floral smell. When she pulled away she swiped her thumb over the tear streaks on his face. “You have always been good to me. Now, would you like to get to know your grandchildren?” 

“Yes,” Tony cheered. 

They spent the next few weeks bonding and getting to know everyone. Vision and Ultron were slowly introduced to the rest of the family. By the end of the first week Tony could tell they were confused on why they had so many family members. 

The both had their own personalities even though they came from the same code. Ultron was more outgoing, more brash and outspoken, and most likely to take charge in social situations. He didn’t spend long thinking about what he might say or to take in his surroundings. 

Vision, on the other hand, was much more reserved and opted to stay in the background, sinking into the shadows to listen to what was going on around him. Ultron often was the only one to pull him out of the shadows and have him join in the conversation. He’d prefer to observe what was going on around him, taking in how people were feeling and how they were reacting. 

Though they were so different from each other they were closer to each other than anyone else. It was comforting to know that they seemed to enjoy spending time together. Tony did wonder sometimes if their bond should be concerning but then the thoughts were derailed when Diego and Luther got into another fight. 

He would like to know who allowed him to adopt five boys and keep them in the same building. He would like to know so he can strangle that person and personally send them down to the ninth pit of hell. But, he wouldn’t trade his kids for anything, even if the testosterone battles do get tiring


	20. 2014

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of canon divergence bc fuck canon. If it didn’t happen if a fic then it didn’t happen right, mostly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter yesterday but I didn’t post it because I wanted to write a note about Chadwick Boseman. He was a fighter and his passing is a tragedy. I didn’t hear about it until yesterday and when I heard I was, still am, heartbroken. He was an amazing actor and an even better person. His works in the marvel industry was incredible. He brought life to an already amazing character. 
> 
> If anyone needs to talk then feel free to contact me.

This is the year that Bucky was supposed to make himself known to Steve as the Winter Soldier. They were supposed to go on the run because Shield was infiltrated by Hydra and trying to kill him and Natasha. They would then meet Sam and go through many more events that Tony isn’t fully sure of. 

But, this isn’t that timeline. Bucky is currently sitting at Tony’s kitchen table and playing chess with Five. Correction, losing a game of chess against Five. Tony still isn’t sure how his kid has managed to not lose a game for three years straight. Could be because he was an assassin or the fact that he’s a genius, maybe both, he’s considered it. 

“And to think you used to be the best of the Commandos,” Steve commented. Bucky glared at him. 

“Yeah, at least I don’t look like a mutated turtle when I fight,” Bucky replied. Steve looked down at Bucky disapprovingly and shoved his shoulder slightly. “Apologies your highness, I didn’t mean to offend,” Bucky said as he moved his knight. Steve pouted and perched himself on the arm of Bucky’s chair. 

Five moved his bishop and smirked. “Your turn, old man.” 

“Fuck off, asshole.” Bucky moved his queen to take the bishop. Five glanced down at the board, smirk broadening. 

“I’ll win in three moves.” He moved his knight. Bucky glared down at the board then up to Five. He moved his queen to take out the knight. Five moved his rook across the board, putting Bucky into a checkmate. “Check and mate. Would you like to go again?” 

“No. I still think you’re cheating. Three years my ass. Probably using some sort of mind control or something.” 

“Nope,” Five replied with a cheeky grin. “I use my skills as an assassin. Forty-five years of living alone and planning ahead are finally being put to good use.” 

“You’re making that up,” Steve accused. Bucky shot him an unimpressed look. 

“Believe what you want, Rogers. That won’t change the fact that I beat Barnes fair and square,” Five shot back. Steve shook his head in disbelief. Tony came in moments later and noticed Five’s smug grin. 

“Five, I know you like this game but at this point, I think it’s just to show that you can beat everyone,” Tony teased. Five shrugged and picked up their game. 

“You just may never know. Is Uncle Jim coming over for lunch?” 

“Yep, he’ll be here in half an hour. I have also taken the liberty to invite the team from New York. I don’t know how to contact Thor so he won’t be coming. But, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce will be here sometime when Rhodey comes.” 

Five nodded and teleported the game away. “Did you make enough food?” 

“Probably not but I’ve lived with kids with advanced metabolisms for twenty-some years so I’ll make it work,” Tony spoke. He shrugged and sat down on the couch beside Five. 

“Do they all have advanced metabolisms?” Steve asked worriedly. 

“Nah,” Tony replied. “Just Luther, Ben, and sometimes Five. With Five, it depends on how much he uses his powers.” Steve nodded and glanced at Five. 

“So if he uses them a lot he’ll metabolize food quicker and need to eat more,” Steve concluded. 

“Got it in one, Cap,” Tony replied. “Oh, Vanya was looking for you in the training room. I think she wants to spar or something.” Five nodded and jumped out of their sights. 

Tony turned back to the two older men and started talking about things that didn’t seem important. They talked until Friday alerted them that people were entering the property. Tony got up and headed down to the bottom floor, getting there just as the doorbell rang. 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” he greeted dramatically when he opened the door. Bruce raised an eyebrow at him while Clint rolled his eyes. Natasha eyed him with a slight smile on her face. 

“Humble, sure Stark. This is a humble house and I’m a pregnant three-hundred-year-old witch,” Clint sassed. 

“Much more humble than a ninety-three story tower if I do say so myself,” Tony replied. He stepped to the side to let them in. “Do any of you know how to contact Thor? I wanted him to be here for this.” 

“No, I haven’t spoken to him since he left after the battle of New York,” Bruce said. Tony nodded and led them to the oversized elevator. 

“Fri, could you tell Five and Vanya that the guests are here?” 

“Right away, Boss,” the AI replied, causing Bruce and Clint to jump. Tony ducked his head and smirked slightly to himself, always loving when she scares new people.

“What was that?” Bruce looked slightly scared. Given that he looked a little green Tony should have been too. 

“That was my AI, Friday. I had to create her after Jarvis decided he wanted a body. I debated on whether I wanted another sassy child and came to the conclusion that I didn’t but here she is anyway.” 

Bruce nodded and Clint looked slightly distressed. “Another child? Stark, you already have eight.” 

“Actually, I have thirteen. Grace, Jarvis, Dum-E, U, and Butterfingers. I count them as children and before you say that robots aren’t children,” he paused when the doors opened and walked out, “you have obviously not met them. My three bots have the intelligence of three-year-olds and Grace and Jarvis are almost as smart as me in their own ways.” 

“That’s,” Bruce stopped and struggled to find the right word, “incredible. Most people aren’t even able to create bots that can do basic tasks properly. Jarvis was an AI first right? How long did it take to put his conscience into a body?” 

“Fifty-three hours and twelve minutes,” the Android in question replied. Bruce stopped short and stared at him. 

He adjusted his glasses and stepped closer. “Do you mind?” Jarvis smiled kindly and shook his head. Bruce took another step closer and studied Jarvis. He turned back to Tony and grinned at the genius. “You need to show me how you created the bodies to be so realistic.” 

“That I can do. There have been two new additions to the family as of last year, actually. Vision and Ultron are probably with Grace in the other room. Jay, could you go get them for us? I know Gracie will love to meet new people.” 

“Of course, Sir. Would you also like me to tell Miss Potts that Colonel Rhodes has yet to arrive?” 

Tony scratched his jaw. “Uh, sure. Tell Pep that he’ll be here soon though because I don’t want her to worry about him, you know how she is.” 

“Of course. You want me to lie to Miss Potts face knowing that it is against my programming to lie making me a terrible liar,” Jarvis said.

Tony leveled him with a flat stare. “It is not against your programming to lie, you just suck at lying. Not my fault.” 

“Odd because I thought it was you that programmed me like that. I guess you learn something new every day,” Jarvis replied and walked away. Natasha cracked a small smile and Clint and Bruce tried to stifle their laughter. 

“For the record, he’s a self-learning AI inside of an android body so that means that he could develop the skill to lie like a human. He just chooses not to so when I tell him to do something he does this,” Tony amended. 

“Of course, Tony,” Natasha replied. She walked past him and further into the room. Tony sighed and followed her. Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and excused himself from the group. “Friday, could you tell the dumbass that I’m here?” 

“Klaus is currently in his room with Dave. It would be unwise to interrupt at the moment,” Friday replied. 

Natasha frowned. “Tell him to use protection. I don’t think Pepper wants grandkids yet.” 

“Of course, Miss Romanoff.” 

Natasha walked over to the couch and sprawled out. “Could you tell dumbass number two that I’m bored?” 

“Ben has been informed and he has sent a message. Would you like to hear it?” 

“Play it, please.” 

Clint had to do a double-take. That was the first time he heard Natasha say please aside from when she was talking to small children. 

“Ben says: ‘I don’t care what she is, she could be a fucking donkey and I still wouldn’t care. I’m reading Harry Potter so she can go bother someone else.’ Is there anything you would like me to send back to him?” 

Ben’s message was played in his voice and caused Natasha to snort in amusement. “Yeah, could you tell him that he’s a jackass and Harry dies?” 

“Right away, Miss.” 

Clint walked over to where Natasha was laying on the couch and kicked her legs off the cushions. “I have never seen you so comfortable,” Clint commented mildly. Natasha shrugged and moved her feet to his lap. 

“Well, this couch is worth more than my life so yeah, I’m pretty comfortable.” 

Clint stared at her for a moment. Her expression stayed the same neutral as if she was talking about the weather instead of making a bad joke. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” 

“Friday,” Natasha said instead of acknowledging Clint, “could you tell Petey that I miss him? I want to see my favorite Stark.” 

“Ouch, Tasha, that one stung,” Diego commented from the doorway. He pushed himself off of it and dropped onto a chair across from them. “But, it’s understandable. Pete’s my favorite Stark too, besides myself of course.” 

Peter ran into the room after that and stopped when he saw that there were more people in the room besides Natasha. He looked over at Bruce and gasped loudly. “Holy frick frack twiddly wack, you’re-”

He was cut off by Bruce’s resigned sigh. “Yeah, yeah. I’m the Hulk-”

“Huh? Oh well, I guess you are that too. I was going to say you’re Doctor Bruce Banner. I didn’t believe Dad when he said he met you, but holy Jesus I never thought I’d get to meet you. I read all of your papers on gamma radiation.” 

“You’re-wait, you don’t care that I’m the Hulk?” 

“Well, that’s pretty cool but I’ve been surrounded by people with powers since I was four. I grew up with only two geniuses in my life but I’ve always looked up to you. All of your papers were amazing but I do have a couple of questions about how you came up with your hypothesis.” 

“You understood those? How old are you?” 

“Thirteen, I think. I lose track of the years sometimes. Fri, how old am I?” 

“You are thirteen, Peter. Your birthday is actually in two months.” 

“Thanks, Friday, you’re an angel and I love you. So, yeah, I’m thirteen,” Peter replied. He acted like it was normal to forget your age and need help from artificial intelligence but he’s a child genius so it’s whatever. 

Bruce looked at the kid like he grew another head but before he could speak Natasha spoke up. “Well, it’s official. No one in this house loves me anymore,” she moaned despairingly. 

“Not true, Tasha,” Peter defended. “Bruce is just a genius and a legend. I still love you and I know Klaus still does even in his own deranged way.” 

“Come give me a hug to prove yourself then,” Natasha challenged. Peter skipped over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’ve got big, Pete. How tall are you now? Three inches? Four?” 

“Very funny, Nat. You should’ve been a comedian instead of a spy. Really, you would have been truly amazing,” Peter said. 

“Someone’s getting snippy. Is it because you’re short? Honestly, I was short with people too, but I was always over five inches tall,” Natasha replied. 

Peter groaned. “Your jokes are terrible. And I thought Dad’s were bad. Grace,” Peter cheered. He jumped over the couch, scaring Clint in the process, and ran over to the female android. “Save me from Tasha’s jokes, please. They’re terrible.”

“Hey,” Natasha defended weakly. She sat up and pouted when Grace gave her a disapproving look. 

“Miss Romanoff, your jokes are enjoyed when you haven’t told them for a while but I believe you were just here yesterday,” Grace replied. Clint whistled. 

“Damn, his robots are brutal.” 

Grace smiled at him and didn’t comment when he called them robots. “Colonel Rhodes arrived moments ago and Mister Stark sent me to retrieve everyone for dinner. He figured Peter would be here when he realized and Doctor Banner was here.” 

Natasha got up, the proper way and not vaulting over the couch, and headed toward the kitchen with Clint and Bruce hot on her heels. Grace smiled sweetly and moved out of the doorway so they could walkthrough. She headed down another hallway opposite of where they went. 

They sat down at the table that was much too large for any normal family, but hey, what about Tony Stark makes you think of normal? The other Starks came in moments later along with their respective guests. 

The table was specially designed by Tony to expand automatically depending on how many chairs were pulled up and how many people sat. It was odd getting used to it at first but after the first few weeks of trial and error they discovered that it was far superior to any ordinary table. He planned for them to be on the market a few weeks after perfecting them. 

They talked and ate and enjoyed each other’s company. Sometimes Bruce, Tony, Peter, and Five would go off on their own scientific tangents but that’s what made the conversations fun. Klaus would lip dub them when they’d start muttering in science (yes, that is its own separate language, ask Steve and he would gratefully tell you) causing everyone, but them sometimes, to laugh because of how inaccurate he was. 

Overall, Tony would call it a success. Once dinner was over he and Pepper were cuddling on the couch while watching everyone interacting and having fun. “So, what do you think of my plan now, Pep?” He whispered quietly. Pepper turned her head and pecked him on the nose. 

“I think it’s a great plan,” she agreed. “But-“ Tony groaned softly, hating that word for its very existence- “They’ll need to spend more time here, get to know us better. I don’t think the idea is not terrible but I don’t think it’s fully thought out. It’s a half baked plan for disaster. Give them time to adjust, invite them over more often. I’m sure the kids will love having more than their partners here with them.” 

“You are right, Pep. As always.” Tony turned to look at her and studied her side profile. “I can’t think of a time that you were wrong. If it ever happens then I think hell will freeze over and the world will end.” 

“Flattery will get you nowhere with me and you know this,” Pepper reminded. Tony buried his far into her neck and pulled her closer to her. 

“I was thinking. What if we had another kid? I know everyone is still recovering from the bullshit that he put you through, but maybe something to think about? I’ve always wanted another girl. But, I’m willing to wait for when you're ready, Pep.” 

Pepper ran her fingers through his short hair and rested her check atop his head. “I’ll think about it Tony. We don’t know if the Extremis destroyed any chances I have of getting pregnant anyways. What if I miscarry because of it? I don’t want to put you through that, Tony.” Pepper sighed softly and pressed a loving kiss to his head. 

“We’ll get everything figured out, Pep. It’ll be okay one way or another. I love you,” Tony huffed a warm puff of air onto her neck. Goosebumps pricked her skin. 

“I love you too, Tony.” 

That night Steve and Bucky opted to stay over. Separate rooms, per Steve’s insistence and Bucky’s annoyance. Both rooms were en-suite sharing the same bathroom because Tony knows that they may need a little extra push to get over their hundred years of denial. It wasn’t much but he hoped to whatever or whoever above that it was enough. He was sick and tired of Steve’s their oblivious bullshit. 

The little robot family went to their charging stations much earlier than usual. Tony’s kids were soon to follow their lead. Tony made sure to get in one more embarrassing lecture about how “two grandkids are enough for now. Wrap it before you tap it. That includes you Dave.” God, did he love being a dad. 


	21. 2015

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Age of Ultron year but not events. Ultron didn’t lose his shit because he wasn’t created like in the movies so the team had no reason to go to Sokovia. But don’t worry, the favorite twins will show up sometime soon bc even I’m not cruel enough to let them suffer more than they already did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. This is a shorter chapter bc my brain’s a bitch and I ran into writer’s block. I also started reading more fanfics and that has taken over my life. Pretty sure I’ve jut blocked out all the shit I learned in school and replaced it with that. 
> 
> Long ass end note ranting about school and parents, skip if you want. AKA I’m a bitch, hate school, and am touch starved to high hell and back.

The year Peter was supposed to become Spider man was upon them. Tony never got the exact details from Peter about what led to him being Spider man. He just knew that something awful had to have happened to cause him to risk his life daily. 

Peter had a field trip to Oscorp, Tony hated the company but Peter wanted to go so he signed the form. After all, it wasn’t very often that Peter got to go to an advanced science and technical company, (Tony’s miffed about that. Peter lives with  _ Tony Fucking Stark _ and he still wants to go to  _ Oscorp, fucking Oscorp. _ It could also do with the fact that he’s friends with Harry, Tony still isn’t sure how that happened.) 

So that’s where he was right now. Peter was off at school on his field trip while Tony spent the day with the rest of his kids. Bucky and Steve were hanging out on the common floor with them while Bruce worked down in the lab with Five. Tony wasn’t down there because Pepper banned him for the time being. 

Klaus was splayed across Dave’s lap and the couch. Steve was sitting on another couch with Bucky and Ben beside him. Tony was snuggled into Pepper on a chair. Vanya, Sissy, Allison, and Diego were sitting on a third couch. Kenny was visiting for the first time in a while and was sitting with his legs across Luther’s lap. Natasha was chaperoning Peter’s tour with Clint. 

“I’m bored,” Tony whined. Pepper ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head to rest on her chest. 

“Yeah, so you’ve said. You’re not going back down into the lab until you learn to restrain yourself. Eight hours a day, that’s it. Eight hours is almost the entire day and what do you manage to do?” 

“Go over the time limit,” Tony muttered sadly. 

“Yep. You went over your eight hour limit so now you're grounded. You ground Five and Peter when they don’t listen to the rules so now I’m grounding you. No lab for a week or until you learn how to stay on time.” 

“I’m sorry,” Tony mumbled. Pepper massaged his scalp with her nails and hummed quietly. 

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. It’s a start but it doesn’t cut it,” Pepper reminded. Tony pouted and buried his head into her chest. “You’re like a small child.” 

Klaus snorted and tightened his hold around Dave’s waist. “He is a small child, barely taller than our little Petey,” Klaus sing-songed. Tony turned his head to glare at his kid. 

“Ben’s older than you,” he said out of spite. Klaus gasped and shot up, almost head butting Dave in the process. 

“Entschuldigen Sie?” 

“Yep.” Tony grinned self indulgently. 

“Benticles, how can you be older than me? That’s not fair. Next thing you’ll say is that Luther is the oldest.” 

“Nope, Luther’s the youngest. You and Allison are the same age almost to the second. Ben’s the oldest. Vanya’s the second oldest, then Klaus and Alli, Diego, then Five. He’s older than Luther by an hour I think,” Tony replied. Klaus glanced over at him and grinned. 

“That means that our fearless leader is truly just a Baby,” Klaus spoke, German accent accentuating the last word. “Man, and to think I took orders from him. Well, I am a free man and I take orders from no one.” 

Dave ran his fingers through the hair on the nape of Klaus’s neck. “Klaus, could you please get me a glass of water?” When Klaus turned to look at him he fluttered his lashes and bowed his head slightly. 

“Of course, Davey.” Klaus jumped off the couch much to everyone’s amusement. 

“Free man my ass,” Diego muttered. 

“I’ll tell Eudora that you’re bullying your brother,” Dave countered. He accepted the water Klaus handed him and gave the other man a moment to settle back where he was. “I don’t think your detective friend will be pleased hearing that.” 

“You wouldn’t,” Diego accused, a hint of fear evident in his voice. 

“Wouldn’t I?” Dave took a long sip of water, pinning Diego down with a challenging gaze and raised eyebrow. “I seem to recall a similar conversation that led with you getting your ass beat by her. It was about something you did when you were younger. Yeah you-“ 

Diego cut him off with a glare. “Don’t.” 

Dave shrugged, a playful smile in place. “I won’t.” 

“Wait, what happened?” Steve spoke up for the first time. Dave shot Diego a look, smirk forming on his face. 

“Ever wonder how he got that scar?” Diego’s hand reached up absently and ran his fingers over it. “Batman over here somehow convinced Klaus to throw his knives. The knife, of course, hit the side of Diego’s head causing him to bleed. So him being the asshole he is, played into Klaus’s powers and told him that he killed him. Klaus told me that he ran straight to Miss Grace and cried for hours. He said that every time Diego walked into the same room as him he would run out screaming.” 

An accusatory stare fell on Diego from his own father. “That’s why he screamed? I thought something awful was following him.” 

“We were ten,” Diego defended. 

Bucky laughed fully from his spot. Steve started in soon after causing everyone else in the room to laugh. Most of the laughter subsided after a moment, Bucky and Ben wiping tears from the sides of their faces. 

Before anyone could say anything else the entire building rumbled. Tony cursed when lighting cracked in the distance. It was over almost as soon as it started. Tony jumped up from his spot on Pepper’s lap and ran to the elevator. 

Friday took him to the roof without a word. When he got there the roof had the definite burn marks from the Bifrost. “Thor?” The god in question walked over and pulled Tony into a crushing hug. “I need to breathe, big guy.” 

Thor released his hug and patted Tony on the back. “Man of Iron, it is wonderful to see you again. I first went to New York but your tower was gone. What happened?” 

Tony chuckled awkwardly. “That’s a long story, Point Break. Come inside. The others are just talking about how my kids are heathens.” 

Thor chuckled and gripped Tony’s shoulder. “My brother and I were that way once too. Father used to punish us if we got too rough with each other while Mother would help clean us up. It was all in good fun though, neither of us getting mortally injured.” 

“How old are you?” 

“I am 1,275. Or twenty according to your midgardian years,” Thor said. Tony gaped at him like a fish. 

“That means Loki’s attack on New York was kind of like a teenage rebellion,” Tony said, disbelief evident in his voice. “That explains so much.” 

“My brother was not in the right frame of mind during that time. Believe me when I say that he is deeply sorry for all the damage he caused. He wanted to come himself but Heimdall told him that it wouldn’t be wise. I have to agree with him on that, I don’t believe the people of New York are willing to just forget the damage he caused,” Thor said sadly. 

Tony patted him on the back and walked into the now open doors of the elevator. “Well, if it makes either of you feel better I don’t blame him for any of it. During the attack my tower was leveled by some asshole that had it out for me. I think you saw the footage where he outed my kids. Loki’s attack would have been a good cover for him if he planned it better, thank the gods he didn’t, and I may have never found them. It’s kinda hard to hold hard feelings against someone that didn’t kidnap and torture my family in the same week.” 

“You are a good man, Stark. Not many would be as forgiving as you.” 

“Well, I’m not that forgiving. The asshole is now six feet under and I wish I’d done worse.” The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Pepper looked over expectantly but visibly brightened when she saw Thor. “Oh sure, be excited to see the guy with abs and muscles big enough to crush your throat three feet away. I see how it is,” Tony muttered. 

Thor looked down at him curiously but got waved off. Pepper stood and ran her hands over her skirt to get rid of the wrinkles she got. “Hello, Thor. I’ve heard so much about.” She walked over and held out a hand to shake. Thor grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. 

“As have I, Lady Pepper. I have heard good stories from Lady Jane.” 

Pepper pulled her hand back when Thor released it. “Jane is a good scientist and works hard for the company. She’s dedicated to her work,” Pepper praised. Tony grumbled and wrapped himself around her. “Tony,” she said slowly. 

“What?” 

“What are you doing?” 

“Enjoying the comfort you bring to my dull life,” Tony replied smoothly. Pepper snorted. 

“Your life isn’t dull with eight kids, Tony.” 

Thor laughed at their antics. Klaus leaned over the back of the couch to get a better look at all the commotion. “Dad, you’re already dating her, no need to keep simping.” 

Tony turned and stuck his tongue out at him. “I’ll keep simping for as long as I want to. We could be eighty and I’d still do this.” 

“What is this simping you speak of?” Thor asked, obviously perplexed. 

“Somebody who idolizes mediocre pussy,” Klaus answered simply. Dave hit him over the back of the head and pulled him down to the couch cushions. 

“Marvelous,” Tony muttered to Pepper. She blushed slightly and pushed him away. Tony chuckled as he stumbled over to the chair he was sharing with Pepper. He held out grabby hands toward her and waited for her to sit down on his lap. 

Thor walked over to the only other empty chair and sat down heavily. He looked around at everyone in confusion. “Stark, I didn’t know you had so many kids.” 

“Ah, Point Break, those three-“ he pointed to Dave, Kenny, and Sissy- “aren’t my kids. Peter is on a school trip with Nat and Legolas. Five is down in the lab with Banner. The others are up here though.” 

“I’m Klaus, he’s Dave, that’s Allison, Luther, Ben, Vanya, Sissy, Diego, and Kenny.” Klaus pointed to each corresponding person before flopping onto Dave’s lap. “Dave is also my boyfriend and if you try to take him I’ll kill you.” 

Thor let out a loud jovial laugh. “You amuse me, Son of Stark. You could try to kill me all you want but I am far too powerful for that.” 

Klaus glared at him. Thor let out a choking noise and clutched at his throat. He scratched at it for a few moments before stopping abruptly and sucking in oxygen greedily. “Yeah, you’re too powerful to be killed and I just can’t be killed.” 

Tony choked on his saliva along with Diego, Allison, and Luther. All four of them fell into coughing fits that led to several eyebrows getting raised. Pepper glanced between all four of them before stopping and raising an eyebrow at Tony. “I’ll explain later,” he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. 

“Anyways,” Klaus said loudly, getting rid of the awkward tension in the air. “Dad explained that you were a god of some sorts correct?” 

“I am not a god. Gods are immortal until they’re forgotten. I can be killed. I simply live a longer life than every human,” Thor explained. 

“Alright cool. Well, I hope you know they wrote books about you and your brother. There are mythology books and books based on mythology. My favorite is Magnus Chase. I can loan it to you sometime,” Klaus said. Thor tipped his head to the side like a puppy. 

“I knew we had an impact but I didn’t expect that.” 

“I didn’t know you could read,” Ben stated. Klaus gasped dramatically but before he could say anything Ben shut him down. “Don’t start. I’d hate to release the eldritch on you, they’re already angry enough without being forced to listen to your drama.” 

“Rude, Benerino. And to think, once I believed that you loved me,” Klaus sighed. He rested his wrist against his forehead and fell onto Dave’s lap. “I am nothing but a victim in this family. The only one that truly loves me is the Roomba.” 

“We don’t have a Roomba,” Luther replied dryly. 

Dave pet Klaus’s hair and kept him from sitting up or starting a fight. Bucky groaned beside Ben. “If you’re going to be grossly in love could you please take it to another room? I already have to deal with tin can over there fawning over Pepper every second.” 

“You’re just jealous,” Klaus replied. He buried his face in Dave’s stomach and inhaled his musky scent. “See, you wish you could do this but you’re too busy pining from a distance to get anywhere. You’re a gay disaster, Sarge. You make me look sensible.”

Dave snorted above him. “He does have a point.” Bucky squawked indignantly much to almost everyone’s amusement. Except, of course, Steve. 

Steve glanced at Bucky with a look of confusion. “You like someone, Buck?” 

“Yes, Steve, unlike you I have a life and interests aside from whatever the fuck it is you do.” He crossed his arms defiantly and leaned into the arm of the couch. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Steve muttered. A tense silence fell over the room. Klaus threaded his fingers with Dave’s and leaned further into him. 

“Dave, do you think dad would kill us if we eloped?” And just like that the silence was broken. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Tony screeched. 

“You should be sorry,” Klaus replied. Allison snorted a laugh. 

“Klaus, what did I do now?” 

“Well, I don’t know actually. But I do know that both of us would be dead if we eloped without telling you.” 

Tony spluttered. “Yeah because you would have gotten married without telling me. That’s not allowed. I need at least a month’s notice for the wedding planning. I don’t care if you get married, hell, I’m looking forward to that. I just want to see it happen. Even if you don’t want a wedding and just want to sign shit at a courthouse I just want to be there.” 

Klaus hummed in the back of his throat. “Makes sense. Alli, do you and plan on getting married sometime?” 

Allison shifted in her seat and pulled her legs closer to her body. “Patrick and I… aren’t really on good terms right now. He accused me of using my rumor on him and said that he didn’t care about what I’ve been through. I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks.” 

Klaus rolled over on the couch and looked at his sister. “Well, he’s an ass that doesn’t deserve you. Dad, think about your next words before you say them.” 

Tony tensed and glared at his kid. “I wasn't going to say anything bad. I was just going to say that he seemed shifty the last time I saw him and he never gave me a reason to like him or think he was worthy of dating my daughter.” 

“That’s surprisingly sensible,” Bucky said. Ben nodded his approval. 

“That’s unsurprisingly rude,” Tony countered. A swishing sound was heard behind his and Pepper’s chair followed by surprised screeching from Capsicle and Point Break. 

“I will never get used to that,” Steve whispered. 

“Cool. Well, Bruce needs dad down in the lab. Sarge, you’ll be needed too. Nice hammer,” Five said. Tony stood up and rounded his chair, followed by Bucky standing and walking over. Five grabbed their arms and jumped them away. He reappeared a second later. “I never really did like Patrick. If you need me to ruin him I have plenty of blackmail. Good luck, sis.” Then he was gone again. 

“Holy shit, was Five just nice?” Allison nodded numbly, a large smile lighting up her features. 

They continued talking for a few more hours. The elevator dinged suddenly, causing a few in the room to jump. Natasha and Clint walked out looking very tired and worn out. Peter followed them, looking like he carried the weight of the world and the sins of everyone. Natasha sat on the floor in front of the couch Klaus and Dave were on and leaned back. Peter laid on the floor and rested his head in her lap, falling asleep almost instantly. 

“Peter got bit by something,” Clint explained. He bent Klaus’s legs and took the spot they were occupying, placing them on his lap when he was comfortable. “Don’t know what it was but it drained the life from him. Almost instantaneous. Poor kid had to continue going through that death trap of a building and tried to keep up a cheery smile and shit.” 

“We can have Helen look at him when he wakes up. He looks like he needs his sleep,” Pepper said. She looked down at the child she had considered her son since first met and felt a stab of guilt. “I’ll have Tony take him to bed later.” 

Luther stood up and smiled. “Don’t bother the old man, I got him.” He crouched down to Peter’s height and lifted him slightly, not showing whether or not it took effort. In times like this, Luther completely forgot about how he hated his powers. He smiled once more at Pepper before walking down to Peter’s room. 

Klaus yawned and moved to a sitting position. “I think I’m gonna head to bed too. I’ve been up since the ass crack of dawn and I need to catch up on my sleep before the ghosts decided that I don’t deserve that luxury.” 

Klaus stood up and walked down the hallway Luther went down. The others sat in peaceful quiet with idle chattering for an hour longer. They were ripped from their dazed chatter when a loud clanging came from the kitchen. Natasha was up first, a knife in one hand, a gun in the other. 

She walked silently around the corner and signaled to the others to wait. Natasha took a moment to absorb what was happening. Bruce was sitting on the kitchen table, glaring down at a broken plate while shoveling ice cream into his mouth with a serving spoon. 

Natasha cleared her throat to make her presence known, sheathing the knife and holstering the gun in one swift and highly skilled movement. “What are you doing?” 

“The project failed,” Bruce said simply. He shoveled another spoon full of ice cream into his mouth before continuing. “I’ve been attempting to remove the code words but it isn’t working. Had to use the Hulk to restrain him. He’s been switched off but I don’t think I can do this. Do you know how hard it is to retire someone’s brain?” 

Natasha pulled out a chair and sat on it backwards. “I’m afraid I do not.” She figured she would humor him until he got his shit figured out. 

“Yeah, well you're an assassin and a damn good one. No need to waste your life trying to become a shitty scientist. The only thing my PhDs got me was an alter ego that can’t even go through doorways because he’s at least four feet wide. I have tried, time and time again to figure this shit out but none of my training has been for a giant green rage monster and POW from World War Two that only looks a year older than the day he died.” 

He took another giant bite of ice cream and continued to sulk. 

“I don’t think anyone’s trained for that,” Natasha comforted. “You can figure it out, I know you can. You’re Bruce Banner, the most renowned scientist in the world and one of the smartest people on the planet.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes, stuffing another spoonful into his mouth. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. And where has that got me now? Being hunted down by the government for simply existing because of an experiment gone wrong. Living with Tony Fucking Stark and his marry band of misfits. I love everyone here, but I can’t get an actual job. I love doing science shit with Tony but it’s just...ugh.” Bruce groaned and buried his head in his hands. “And his kids are way smarter than I could ever wish to be. Is there even a reason for me to be here? I’m just a liability and a lawsuit waiting to happen. The government, my employers, are just itching to arrest me so they can test me to the point I’m bleeding from my eyeballs.” 

“That was… very descriptive.” Natasha took a deep breath and shook the disturbing image out of her head. “Nothing will happen to you Bruce. I bet Fury’s life on it.” That got a small smile. “Besides, where would we be without you in the Battle of New York? We would be slave’s to a power hungry maniac. Both parts of you are amazing and unique in their own ways. And think about this. Those kids that you said are smarter than you? Both of them look up to you, not the Hulk, as their hero. You are the best thing that could happen to them. So what if some failed experiment made you a little temperamental, you are still functioning, adapting, and overcoming all of the obstacles in your way. Do you know how many people get to say they worked with Tony Stark directly? Around twenty in the entire world. You are one of the few that have bonded with him and formed a friendship. Don’t overlook all the good in you Bruce.” 

Bruce sighed. He picked up his head and looked her directly in the eyes. “How did I ever get so lucky?” Natasha’s cheeks warmed slightly and she looked away. 

“Maybe it was finally time for something good.” 

Bruce returned to his lab not long after their conversation. Natasha returned back to the people in the living room. “So, I take it you befriended the robber?” Clint teased. Natasha flopped onto the seat beside him and made sure to put most of her weight onto him. 

“Our robber was none other than Doctor Banner himself. He was sulking and stuffing himself with terrible ice cream. But you wouldn’t know anything about having friends, no would you Clint.” 

“Ouch,” Clint complained. He rubbed the spot right over his chest and pouted. “Right where it hurts too, Tasha.” 

The night drained on, eventually everyone filtering out to go to their rooms. Ben showed Thor his room when he hesitated. Tony was sent off to his room two hours after Pepper went to bed and was out like a light. Bruce and Five didn’t even bother going up to their rooms, both working late into the night and falling asleep at their tables

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, more on the lack of update. For the past two weeks I have been trying to convince my parents to sign me up for cyber school because my county is still having physical classes. I have told them time and time again that I can’t because I have anxiety. It’s not overly awful, like suffocating and shit, but I can’t learn anything if my brain is distracting me, now can I?  
> Anyways, I’ve told them this and they responded with “We need to talk it over first” so I had some hope. But, you know the bullshit they pull? They don’t even give a fuck about my education or mental health bc they’re still like “Idc that you don’t want to go or suffer with anxiety, it’s just a stage of life that you have to get over” Like yeah, no shit mom. But shouldn’t I be the one to know my limits??  
> The first time I brought this up I told them that I wouldn’t have anyone to talk to bc all of my friends are bitches (I love you, please don’t hate me) and decided that this was the year they were going to go online. They didn’t give a shit. They just looked at me like I was a five-year-old arguing over why I should have ice cream for breakfast.  
> The second time, after talking to my friend and being pissed, I brought up an academic stand point. I brought up how the only time I didn’t struggle was when it was all online, like the last few months of the previous school year. My dad said that he’d talk to my mom about it. In other words, it was still a no.  
> So, Monday rolled around and I had no hope. Mind you I was still upset about Chadwick Boseman’s passing and in complete shock. My dad talked to my mom about the school thing when she came to pick us up and it was still a no. I was done. In the car ride to my grandma’s house I silently glared out the window and tried to stop myself from crying by biting the inside of my face.  
> My mom looks over at me and asks if I was ok. Like bitch? Did I look ok?? The answer was no. She then focused back on the road like she didn’t expect me to say that, which tbf I didn’t either. Anyways she asks me why and I lose it. I turn to her and say “I just love how you and dad seem to prioritize a skill that I can learn at any time over my education and mental health”  
> She looks over at me like a grew another head. Which, I wouldn’t‘ve been surprised if that happened at this point with the way the year is going. So, she skips over the fact that they ARE FUCKING UP MY EDUCATION and asks “how is it bad for your mental health?”  
> Like, high school suicide rates are pretty fucking high. And I just sit there, not sure how the FUCK to respond to that IGNORANCE. Like, excuse you???? You’re trying to tell me that the fact that high schoolers today have the same anxiety levels as 1950’s patients in the psych ward just doesn’t count??? Okay. Okay. I see how the fuck it is. Now excuse me while I just go take a minute to get over my anxiety and depression. Oh would you look at that?? All FUCKING BETTER MOM.  
> Anyways. I told her about my anxiety. And lo and behold, yet another fact about me she ignores. She tells me that that’s something that I need to work though. Like I know that, KAREN (not her real name btw). Why do you think I have so many sleepless nights??? Why do you think I’d rather stay up till the ass crack of dawn doing mindless stupid shit instead of attempting to sleep?  
> So then she asks about my education and how going to to actual school would fuck with that. Well aside from my anxiety distracting me at every turn there’s the fact that I’m shit at math. The only reason I passed last year is because the hw was graded on completeness and I had a friend to explain shit to me. I told her that (much less swearing, i may be suicidal but I want to go out in a blaze of glory, not bc I pissed my mom off) and she’s just like “why don’t you do what you did when school was online?”  
> I know she was trying and as I’m writing this I feel like shit but THAT’S NOT THE GD POINT. I explain to her that I can’t do that bc my teachers aren’t doing the videos. She asked about how that works for kids in cyber so I explain it to her bc im nice like that. Anyways, my sister butts her both of a self in and starts screaming.  
> I get out of the car, go into the house and cry silently on the couch. Later I move out to the porch swing to continue wallowing. My grandmother (bless her heart) comes out to talk to me and try to figure everything out. I explain to her what I’m going thro and she’s actually understanding about it??? So we have a heart to heart, she thinks I should go to school, I think I shouldn’t, she says that I should at least see how it goes before deciding and I agree bc fuck it, I’m tired of fighting. So she tells me that food is ready so i go in and start eating. She try’s to change the subject but my mom is like nope and decides to bring my friend in who was cybered last year. I lost it.  
> Needless to say we hugged and I’m touch starved.


	22. Spider-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as the title says. My Peter Parker is a mix of all three Peters from the movies. I’m picking and choosing what I want for in my story so there will be bits and pieces from all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, my friend got me into My Hero Academia and I needed to finish the fourth season before I could focus on anything else. Now I’m heart broken and can’t wait for season five. Also, I started school and won’t have as much time to write. Please bear with me. This chapter was mostly written on my phone so please excuse any mistakes. At some point this will be severely edited but not until it’s finished.

A couple of days after the bite, Peter started acting strangely. Tony had Friday keep tabs on him just in case it was some kind of poisoning. He hoped it wasn’t, but he also hoped this wasn’t how Peter got his powers. He figured it was the latter though, because Peter would jump at every loud noise, he would yelp if the lights were too bright and he was no longer using his glasses or contacts. 

He didn’t use his inhaler as much which given the fact that this was how he probably got his powers didn’t surprise Tony as much as it concerned him. He’s already raised seven super-powered kids, what was one more? 

Apparently one more was a bigger pain in the ass than the other seven combined. Peter was a terrible liar, something Tony was kind of grateful for, so it wasn’t hard to tell when he was lying about something. When Peter first woke up he moved around his room effortlessly in the dark. Then he tripped over a nightstand when the light suddenly came on. 

He didn’t seem to notice that he was sticking to his blanket until he was on his way to leave his room, coincidentally when he also realized that he didn’t have his glasses. He tried to pull the blanket off of himself and ended up ripping it to shreds, tragic really, it was his favorite Umbrella Academy blanket given as a gag gift. 

Peter then stumbled over to his floor length mirror and looked at himself. His clothes were sticking to his body like he was wet, but he wasn’t. He panicked slightly before taking deep breaths and instinctively reaching for his inhaler. Only to realize a second later that he could breathe. 

He studied himself without blurred vision and felt a lurch in his stomach. He picked up his glasses and studied them for a moment. They were specially made Stark tech that could be used to analyze any situation and give appropriate feedback. They were programmed to auto adjust depending on how big a strain they sensed. He was kinda sad that he didn’t need them anymore, but that didn’t stop him from wearing them. 

They sent him a notification to his phone saying that they were no longer needed but he just ignored the obvious. After calming down from his initial panic, he still wasn’t sure  _ why _ he panicked in the first place, he was able to get dressed properly. It was Monday and he knew that he was running late. 

Tony was sitting at the kitchen table when Peter walked in. He raised his eyebrows at his son as he took a sip of his coffee. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

“Uh,” Peter stammered. “To school?” It came out as more of a question than it should have. 

“Nope, you’re staying home this week. Ted will bring you your homework.” 

Peter cocked his head to the side, a question forming on his tongue before it seemed to dawn on him. “Oh, you mean Ned. But I can’t miss school. There’s a chemistry test today, and an English one on Thursday.” 

Tony raised an eyebrow and steepled his fingers. “Kid, you work with Bruce Banner almost everyday and your brother is Ben, one of the most prestigious college English teachers in New York. Your other brother is Five, enough said there. You don’t need to go to school for the rest of your life, hell, you’re smart enough to be graduating college right now but yet, you’re still taking high school classes. You don’t need to go to school. Besides, you were out for like, two days. You’re not going.” 

Peter stood in shocked silence and just stared dumbly. “To be fair, they wouldn’t teach me without putting me through hell,” Peter defended. 

“Yeah, but you’d also become the greatest mind in the entire world aside from maybe one person. Either way, you’re out for the week.” 

Peter nodded and went back to his room. He figured that if he wasn’t going to school then he was going back to bed. 

When the week was over he went back to school fully caught up and feeling much better. He was in such a good mood that he almost forgot about the one thing he hated, almost. 

“Hey, Penis. Have fun on your little vacation?” Peter groaned and turned around to face his bully. 

“Actually, Flash, I did. I was really nice hanging out with Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. And my brothers are pretty fun too, you know Five and Ben Stark,” Peter replied. Flash’s eyes widened before narrowing into a glare. 

“You’re lying.” 

Peter shrugged and turned back around. “Believe what you want, just hope that Klaus doesn’t find out.” 

Flash ran up to him and roughly grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him to face him. “Find out what, Penis? That you’re too weak to defend yourself or that you’re lying about being related to them?” 

“Well, seeing as the ghosts are always feeding him information I’d guess that he’d learn about you being a bully before I even had the chance to say anything. Better hope he doesn’t find out, otherwise Dad won’t be too happy,” Peter replied in a sing-song voice. 

Flash’s face darkened with rage. He squeezed Peter’s shoulder bruisingly hard and pulled him in close. “Listen here you worthless piece of shit, you think you can scare me by making up stuff but you can’t. Everyone knows you’re a liar, Parker. You’ve been seeking attention ever since your parents got themselves killed.” 

Peter had tears in his eyes when Flash pulled away. The latter smirked at him as he walked away, bumping his shoulder roughly against Peter’s. He quickly blinked away the tears and continued with his crappy day. 

When school was finally over he could have cheered. The bell grated on his nerves all day. It sounded a hundred times louder than normal and he got into Happy’s car with a headache. Happy noticed the lack of conversation and started to worry for his boss’s kid. 

“You okay, kid?” He was tentative, not good with kids, and overall awkward. 

“Just a headache, Mister. Happy. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine once I sleep for a bit.” 

“Okay,” Happy replied, not at all convinced. When Happy dropped him off at the compound he pulled away with trepidation. The first thing he did when Peter was out of the car was make a call to Tony. 

"Hello, Forehead of security," Tony greeted. 

Happy grumbled at the nickname. "I just dropped Pete off. He's in a weird mood and wasn't very talkative on the ride here," he informed. 

Happy could feel Tony's frown through the phone. "I'll ask him about it when he gets up here, thanks for telling me." 

"You're welcome, boss." Happy hung up and drove away. Tony pocketed his phone and waited by the elevator for his kid. 

Peter walked out without his usual bounce in his step causing Tony to frown. "How was school today?" 

"It was good. I'm tired right now so I think I'm gonna take a nap," Peter replied, refusing to make eye contact with Tony. 

"Alright, kid. When you wake up, come find me so we can hang out."

Peter skilled softly and glanced up from the floor. "I will, dad." 

That routine continued on for a couple more months. It wasn't healthy for Peter, but Tony tried his hardest not to push. 

Peter was out with his uncle. It was getting close to mother's day and he wanted to get something for Pepper and May. And maybe Grace if he found anything she would like. 

"I have to go to the hardware store so I'll drop you off here. Meet me at the library no later than an hour from now," Ben ordered. 

Peter smiled at him before stepping out of the old hatchback. "Don't worry, Uncle Ben, I will." 

When the hour was up, Peter started toward the library at the end of the street. There was a loud bang that resonated through all of the buildings. Peter felt his legs push him further, faster than he's ever ran before. 

He rounded the corner and saw a mob of people in a circle. He pushed through the crowd and stumbled to a stop at the sight. 

Ben was laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the chest. People were standing around and not even trying to help him. Peter stumbled through and fell to his knees beside his uncle. 

"Ben, who did this?" Peter mumbled. He put pressure over the wound like his brother told him to before deciding it wasn't enough, so he ripped off his shirt instead. 

Ben clutched at Peter's wrist, barely containing his wince at the added pressure to his chest. "Don't surround yourself with the darkness that this'll bring. Stay in the light Petey. With great power, comes great responsibility. You are the most powerful," Ben said, breaths labored and coming in more like short gasps. 

Peter felt his eyes prick with hot years. "Don't leave me, Ben. I still need you." 

Ben moved his hand up to rest on Peter's cheek. "I'll always be here." He drew in another shaky breath but didn't breathe in another. 

Peter screamed and started shaking him, hot tears running down his face. "Ben, Ben. Please wake up." 

The rest passed by in a blur. The police came and pulled him away. An ambulance arrived and pronounced Ben dead. Someone was asking Peter questions but he wasn't sure if he was answering them. Happy showed up sometime later so he must've told them who to call. 

Peter went to school the next day, still dazed and unsure of what was going on. Tony fought with him the morning before, pleading with him to take some time to process. He didn't listen. 

Flash wasn't as bad, or maybe he was worse, Peter couldn't tell. Mj, Ned, and Harry made sure to keep him up to speed on his classes. All three of them went back with him to the compound that day. 

Klaus was sitting in the living room, using Dave as a seat instead of the half dozen empty places around him. "Hey, Peter," Dave greeted. "Hi, MJ, Ned, Harry." 

They nodded to his greetings, guiding Peter to the couch across from the older men. "How was school today, Pete?" Klaus asked softly. 

Ever since the field trip the ghosts reported Peter acting weird. They told him about Peter's new sensory issues so he made sure to keep his voice low. 

Peter just shrugged, brown eyes looking full and unseeing. 

"Well, my day sucked today. You know that? I wasn't able to do anything because Dad said that we couldn't go out due to media purposes. I had ravioli for lunch. Did you know that dad's half Italian? What's the point of Chef Boyardee if we have Chef Boyardad? Anyways, he didn't cook and I had canned food. Tres magnifique. The ghosts said that something was up with the place so I told dad and when he checked the scanners there was nothing wrong. So I turned to them like what the hell and they are just cackling their ethereal asses off. Diego threw a knife at me because I barged into his room and it's 'not polite' or whatever. Anyways, I went to go check on Alli, oh she's showing already. She's three or four months along, right Dave?" 

Klaus looked up to his boyfriend for confirmation. "Yep, she announced it like a month after her and Patrick split. I really hope he doesn't try to get custody though, that will be ugly." 

"True. Dad will fight him tooth and nail. It would be the final nail in his coffin. I hope he doesn't die before I do, I don't want to deal with his nagging and being an over all asshole. Pete, do you think Patrick will always be an asshole or is it just a twenty some year old thing?" 

Slowly through Klaus's tangent Peter's eyes regained their light. They weren't like normal but he was now connected to the present. "it's a Patrick thing. Alli's too good for him anyway. Much too high class." 

"Wahr. She could bury him in the money she made alone. Mj, how was your day?" 

The conversation shifted and soon the kids found themselves recounting their day to the human ouija board.

Two days from that was the funeral. Tony and his kids went, even Grace and Jarvis went. Ben didn't have much family, aside from Richard he was an only child. It would have been just Peter, May, and a few of his work friends had things been different.

But they weren't and Ben was missed by dozens. He always treated the robots with the same respect he treated the humans. He made sure everyone was happy and if they weren't he tried to make them. Sometimes it didn't work but they still appreciated the gesture. 

It was a short service followed by a procession to the cemetery. Luther, Klaus, Diego, and a friend from his work were the pole bearers. Tony bought him the nicest headstone he could get his hands on and had it engraved specially for him. 

Peter took up the Spider-man suit a month after that. Tony found out what he was doing shortly after his daebu. 

They worked for another few months building the perfect suit. When he again made his daebu, he quickly rose in popularity. Peter told Ned and Mj not long after Harry was sent off to boarding school in England. Harry found out the next time he visited. 


	23. The Maximoffs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’m sorry for disappearing for a while. But here’s a 5k chapter to make it up to ya. Anyways, update on school: it’s a bitch and I like maybe three people out of all the homophobic assholes so yay. Anywhore, I do have some sort of unchecked something or the other so I’m like hyper focused on My Hero Academia bullshit. This will still be getting updates as it’s coming toward the end but as you all may have noticed I’ve put it on Hiatus. The MHA fic will be updated more often than this one but I WILL be finishing it.

Tony cussed himself out as he ran through the compound. “Friday, alert everyone that they’re needed right fucking now.” He couldn’t believe himself. How the hell did he forget about the twins? He was through another string of curses, creating new ones as he went when he finally made it to the runway. 

“They will be ready in ten minutes, boss,” Friday informed. 

“Tell them if they aren’t at the planes within three I’m kicking them out to fend for themselves. Fri, scan Russia for Hydra bases. Use the codes and coordinates I uploaded two years ago to narrow the search.” Tony jumped into the closest quinjet and uploaded the coordinates of the base.

Not even three minutes later Klaus was getting on the plane. “What’s going on?” 

“Well, I just found something that can’t be ignored and realized that I did ignore it and now I’m almost a hundred percent sure there is no saving them,” Tony replied cryptically. Klaus shrugged and moved out of the cockpit. “Fri, please send these coordinates to jets three and five then tell the remaining team to get into those jets. I want Natasha to fly on and Diego in the other. Tell Thor to follow if there isn’t enough room.” 

“Right away, boss.” Tony flipped the appropriate levers and switches to start the plane up. 

“Could you tell Five, Luther, and Allison that I want to speak to them through the flight?” Tony asked his AI.

“Of course, boss. Will Mini-boss be joining this mission?” 

Tony sighed and hesitated. “...Yes. I want Peter in with me in the copilot’s seat. I want him to learn to fly sometime.” 

A few minutes later Natasha and Diego radioed in from their jets. “This is Gamma checking in,” Natasha’s voice called through the radio.

“Gamma confirmed.” 

“Epsilon checking in,” Diego said. 

“Epsilon confirmed. Alpha checking in to support.” 

“Alpha confirmed,” both replied. 

“Alpha checking in to base, base please confirm,” Tony called through his mic. 

“Alpha confirmed,” Dave’s voice rang through the radio. “Who is on plane Alpha?” 

Tony, Natasha, and Diego finished going through their startup relay before being able to take off. Peter walked into the cockpit just before Tony took off. He buckled himself in and fidgeted as he put his headset on. “Mr. Dad, why do I have to sit up here with you?” 

“Because I want you to learn how to fly in case you are the only one left on a team. You won’t be able to get your pilot’s license for a while but as long as you know what to do to at least start it up to radio in the coordinates to base and tell how many of us are incapacitated. Dave, keep a sharp eye on the cameras when we get there, I don’t want anything to be able to sneak up on us.” 

The plane ride was slow and seemed to stretch on forever. Tony sent Peter out to get Five, Luther, and Allison once they were stabilized in the air. He talked to each of them and scolded them for not reminding him sooner. It wasn’t harsh, it was his fault too after all, but he still felt it needed to be done. 

All three planes landed on an abandoned runway. Tony had gotten permission during the flight to enter into Russian borders. He said it was a search and rescue along with taking out a terrorist group. They weren’t all too pleased having the Avengers coming in, mostly because wherever they go destruction follows, but they relented when Tony relayed the severity of the situation. He also promised to pay for any damage they caused to public or private property, that may or may not have swayed them. 

Tony powered down the plane while everyone was getting off before soon getting off himself. He double-checked that everyone had their equipment and weapons before telling them the plan. 

Allison was to hang back and was only to be brought out in a special emergency, along with Ben and Bruce. The latter two’s  _ expertise _ wasn’t really needed at that point. Tony was hoping for the least amount of casualties. Tony and Five would go straight to the base and try to scope out the area. Everyone else was going in level of power. Steve and Luther would be down on the ground while Diego and Bucky were their snipers, Diego, of course, used his knives. Natasha and Clint would go through the trees and attack from above. Klaus had the option to scope out the enemy or use his powers to conjure some ghosts to attack, he chose the former. Thor went in from the air, also attacking from above with Natasha and Clint. Peter was up with Tony and Five, being used for his IQ. 

Their plan went smoothly, too smoothly. Tony remotely hacked into the barrier and brought it down. His kids would be lying to themselves if they said it wasn’t pretty cool. 

“Twenty inside the room you are. There are two teens too. They seem to be hanging around, almost like they’re waiting for orders. Aaaand they’re gone. The boy sped away with the girl,” Klaus commented. “Keep an eye out. The boy was going up to a hundred miles per hour.” 

Tony groaned and cussed himself out further. “Language,” Steve commented over the comms. Tony halted what he was doing and turned around enough to get a good look at Cap’s profile. 

“Did you just tell me to watch my language?” Tony blinked a few times and tried to regain his bearings. It was a weird day for them all. When he was finally able to get his body under control and move the suit into the building his kids were already inside. 

“It just slipped out,” Steve muttered. Bucky took out another goon to Steve’s right and looked at him through his scope. 

“Just slipped out, huh. That’s pretty ironic coming from the guy that cussed Hitler out in three different languages for ten minutes straight. I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, Stevie, but you ain’t no saint.” 

Tony snorted and shot ten people at once. “Well, Sarge, I’m assuming you had something to do with that?” 

Bucky sniped another goon. “Nope, that was all Carter. The balls of that woman were bigger than yours, Stark.” 

“Kinky,” Tony and Klaus commented at the same time. Over at the compound, Dave was cackling with Bucky’s screen paused on Steve’s beat red face. He silently saved the image to share with everyone later. 

Bucky head-shotted another agent before he needed to reposition. “I just remembered how much I hated sniping for Steve,” he muttered grumpily. Five muttered under his breath as he hacked into the systems. “Always saluting me in the trees, giving away my location. Stevie, this isn’t the shit you pull with the person keeping you safe. I can’t fucking believe you.” 

“You better watch your gosh darn language, Barnes. Cap doesn’t like to hear you speak like that,” Nat commented. Bucky flipped her off even though she couldn’t see him. 

“I’m sorry, Buck, but how else am I supposed to show you that I’m grateful?” Steve asked, exasperated. 

“If anyone comments on that I’m taking you all out before you can say ‘shit’,” Bucky threatens. Natasha and Clint laugh over comms and Peter almost falls from where he was perched near the ceiling. Tony could practically see the blush through the kid’s mask. 

Tony made it to the center of the building and sent his suit into sentry mode. He looked around the decent sized room and searched through their files. He found what he needed to prove the existence of the two teens. He wasn’t able to go through the files thoroughly before but now that he was, he felt like he was going to be sick. 

“Five, I need you in here,” Tony called weakly. Five was by his side in a flash of blue. He grabbed the files from Tony’s hands before they could scatter to the floor and looked them over with a creased brow. 

“There is no way a human did all this,” he muttered. Tony nodded and used Five for support. “We’ll go over these later.  _ After _ we get these kids out of here.” 

“Over there,” Tony gestured weakly toward the wall. “Discolored brick. Push it and it leads to a secret door.” 

Five did as he was told and revealed a staircase that led to a sub-basement. When he went down he noticed a giant metal space whale. He breathed a sigh of wonder out and inspected the machine. It looked like it was living at some point, definitely not organic. He wondered if it was created by the aliens that attacked New York or if it was just how their planet was. He kind of hoped they weren’t wiped out, because that would be shitty luck for anyone. 

As he inspected the beast his ears picked up a wisp of a sound. He made sure not to indicate he heard anything, going into spy mode. Five continued to look the creature over without actually looking. His senses were focussed on the intruder. The small puff of air was the only sound he heard before he was plunged into darkness. 

All-around him the world was closing in. Darkness took over the sun. There was a giant outlined by the little rays of light that managed to escape. He looked around and saw his family laying on the ground, bruised, bloody, and lifeless. The outline moved closer with heavily determined strides. When it came into view, Five barely suppressed a gasp. He hid his terror behind a cocky grin and arrogant smirk. 

“So, we meet again, Thanos. I have to say, your little stunt to destroy the world didn’t work out so well,” he commented. His fear was pushed to the back of his mind as he went into fight or flight mode. His brain screamed at him to find a weapon, a gun, a knife,  _ anything. _ He couldn’t. 

The titan took another step forward, large purple lips pulled into a victorious grin. “If only you had joined me, Five. You see where it has gotten your family, they’re dead because of you. Your friends will haunt you from the dead, just like my people haunt me.” 

“The difference between you and I, Thanos,” Five said calmly as he started circling the titan like a predator, “is that I didn’t kill half of my species. I didn’t betray them for my own twisted beliefs. I went through the apocalypse, started working for the commission, became an assassin. Do you know why I did all of that, Mad Titan? I did it because I wanted, no,  _ needed _ to get back to the people that I love and care about. You on the other hand. You killed them all just because you believed it would be for the greater good. Your planet has been destroyed, asshole, and do you know whose fault that is? Yours,” Five growled out. 

He stopped his pacing and glared at the titan. Thanos continued smirking and slowly, painstakingly slowly, raised his right hand to reveal a weapon that wasn’t there before. “I know what you’re scared of, Five. You’re scared of being alone, of being abandoned. You’re terrified of not having the power to save those you care about.  _ You’re scared of watching your family die.”  _

Thanos held up his left hand, revealing a gold gauntlet with only a red stone. The stone glowed brightly against the sunless sky. His family was standing behind Thanos. His father, brothers, sisters, mother, uncles, and aunts, all standing behind him like pigs to slaughter. Thanos’s grin turned feral. Five was stuck in place as he watched the titan spin the dual bladed sword. In one swift movement, everyone was beheaded. Blood flew and covered him and the purple titan. 

Five felt his eyes prickle and something hot rolled down his cheek. He fell to his knees and watched as everyone he fought to save fell to the ground lifeless. Morgan pushed through the chaos and crouched down beside Tony and Pepper. She sobbed silently as she tried to cling to them. Both knew it was too late. 

Thanos noticed the little girl, grin fading slightly. Five felt a pain in his throat like never before and heard a distant yell. Thanos brought the weapon down on the most innocent person left in Five’s life. His throat was sore and his limbs were numb. 

The scene faded before him and he was brought back to the dark room with the space whale. He glared at the cool metal under his fingers and punched it. It dented from the metal of his suit but left a nice stinging in his knuckles. He turned, rage evident on his sharp features, and moved his cat-like gaze around the room. His eyes locked onto two people in the corner of the room. In a flash of blue, he was in front of them. 

Both of them were suspended in the air by their throats. They scratched at his hand, gasping desperately for air. “What. Did. You. Do.” His voice chilled the room. The teens flinched back and averted their gazes as they tried in vain to get him to release them. “Answer me!” He yelled, spit flying into their faces. 

At one point he may have cared about that, but this wasn’t the time nor place. The girl’s fingers glowed red. Five dropped her and hit the pressure point in her neck in one swift and efficient movement. She dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He turned his steely gaze onto the boy. Hands clawing and silver hair flying. Five gave him the same treatment. 

“Luther, come pick these up,” Five spoke into his comm. He turned around and grabbed the staff quickly. When he walked out of the room, Tony was watching him worriedly. “I’ll tell you later,” Five gruffed. 

“Five, everyone heard what you said,” Tony replied, voice softer than anyone’s ever heard. Peter swung down from the ceiling like the spider he is and pulled his older brother into a tight hug. 

Five dropped his head and finally let himself sob. He cried for the life he once knew, the people he swore to save but couldn’t, he cried for as long as he physically could. He felt drained when he finally moved away from his brother. His body was running on auto-pilot as he made his way back to the plane. He wasn’t fully there for the trip back, and even after, when everyone went to sleep, he couldn’t. 

He lay awake thinking about everything that’s gone wrong. His life, the first time, was spent in an apocalypse with only a mannequin and a titan to keep him company. When he finally managed to come back, it was almost worse than the first time. Half of his siblings were dead and his family was in shambles. The world was still recovering, but not quite there. So, he came back. 

His life now has been better. He’s actually had a childhood and wasn’t forced to live alone for over thirty years before a crazy alien came along. He didn’t have to work for the commission or kill anyone because the timeline depended on it. He got to become a professor at a college before he turned thirty. He published the most renowned papers before twenty-five. And, he graduated from college before he was twenty. But, his family still suffered. They were kidnapped and tortured for days before Tony could finally rescue them. They were forced to go through this. In the end, when it finally came down to it, he wouldn’t be able to save them from the horrors that he’d gone through. 

They knew now what happened to him. He’d have to explain it all at some point. 

Five decided he’d had enough with trying to sleep. He rolled out of bed and walked to the kitchen for a late-night cup of coffee. When he got there, Peter was sitting on the ceiling. He only noticed because his brain was trained to scan every room as soon as he entered. Peter noticed him a moment after, startling so badly he fell to the floor. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled. Five raised an eyebrow at the kid and slowly started making a pot of coffee. “I can go if you want.” 

“You’re fine, Pete. I’m not mad at you. I’m just…” Five waved his hand around, searching for the word he was looking for. “In a funk, I guess. I’d actually prefer if you stay, it’ll make me feel a little better,” he admitted softly. Peter nodded and jumped up onto the island in the center. 

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. At least, that’s what Uncle Ben always said. I won’t force you to tell me something you’re uncomfortable with. I just,” Peter hesitated, “hope that one day you will be able to talk about it. I worry about you, Five. You’re my big brother, but you always seem so sad. Every time you look at one of the others a shadow seems to cross your face. I’ve noticed that you haven’t been able to hold eye contact for more than a few seconds. 

“I just hope that you’ll be able to get through this. I really hate to see you like this, Fivey. It hurts to see you hurting. I guess I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” Peter picked his nails nervously. When he looked up he noticed his older brother’s eyes were glossy. 

Five hid the bottom half of his face behind his mug and focussed on the warmth of the coffee on his tongue. “Thanks, Pete. You’re a pretty cool little bro, y’ know that?” 

Peter blushed and ducked his head to hide it. “Thanks, Five. You’re a pretty cool big bro.” 

They continued their little meeting in almost silence. Sometimes it would be Peter that broke it with an observation, or Five stating the obvious. It was peaceful. 

The next morning, both boys felt like hell. Five more than Peter, because even after he told the younger that he was going to bed, he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. He stumbled out of his room like a zombie and practically tripped into his chair at the breakfast table. Grace tutted him as she was scrambling eggs. 

“You need to get more sleep, Five. Three hours is not enough for a young adult. The average adult needs seven to nine hours. It is recommended to sleep that long every night to wake up refreshed and well-rested the next morning,” Grace recited. 

Down in the second sub-basement the two teens were being held in their own private rooms. The boy was the first to stir, silver hair shifting on the pillow. He sat up groggily and looked around the bank room. His heart rate picked up when he didn't notice his sister. 

Pietro threw the blanket off of himself and jumped out of the bed. He sped around the room, looking for the one constant that had been in his life since the day his parents died. He fell to his knees when he couldn't find her. 

"Good morning," an airy feminine voice called out. Pietro's head shot up,along with the rest of his body. He jumped to his feet and double checked the room again. "I apologise for startling you, that was not my intent. I am Friday, Tony Stark's personal AI. You are in a safe place." 

Pietro glared at the ceiling, where he assumed the voice was coming from. "Anywhere near Stark isn't safe," he spat. He started to pace his room. "Where is my sister?" 

"The girl that was brought in is in the room beside this one. Neither of you are prisoners and have full access to this entire floor. Boss has restricted access to the upper floors due to safety concerns but would be willing to change the restrictions in due time," Friday informed. Pietro's glare softened instead being replaced by a look of total confusion. 

"We aren't prisoners?" 

"Of course not. Boss went to Russia with the intent to save you. When he found the files his vitals reveal that he wasn't in a good head space."

The boy sat down on his bed harshly, clutching his skull in his hands with the intent to think about everything. 

Tony Stark wasn't a bad man. He did all of this just for them. Why? Is he expecting something in return? Does he want to use their powers for something? 

White noise filled the room. He didn't notice until the sound brought him out of his thoughts that he was panicking. It was an odd feeling. He hasn’t panicked that bad since the day his parents were killed by Stark weaponry and he and Wanda were stuck under debris for days. 

The room shook and a dark blue haze flashed through the room. “Apologies, Mr. Maximoff, it seems to be a slight malfunction in the lower levels that you and your sister are in. There are people on their way down to work it out.” 

Pietro started at that. Wanda may be in trouble and they were sending unknowns down into their space. “Hey, Uh, could you tell Wanda that everything is fine?” 

“Certainly, but you are also able to tell her yourself if you wish.” 

The doors opened, the blue lights still flashing, and Pietro saw the red flash of his sister’s magic. She looked over at him with a terrified expression and small tears rolling down her face. “Pietro, are you alright?” 

He raced out and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed into his chest as the light continued to flash. Footsteps were heard outside causing them both to stiffen. A blue form walked in first, one they didn’t recognize as part of the Stark family. His eyes landed on the twins and relief seemed to flood his entire body. 

“Master Klaus, they’re safe and unharmed. I believe it was Ms. Maximoff that set off the alarm, however,” he reported to whoever was on the other side of the door. A good head of fluffy brown hair popped through and looked at them both. 

“Oh good, I was worried Eddie-boy lied to me for a minute and we had someone trying to break into the compound. Are both of you okay? Do you need water? Food? Weed? I can’t get you the last one yet, so if you want it you’ll have to wait a few days,” he rambled. 

Pietro stared at him in confusion. “Who are you?” 

The guy walked fully into the room, keeping a healthy distance between them. The flashing blue light finally cut out and they were able to see him fully. “I may not have been out in the spotlight for a while but has it really been that long? Eddie, have I changed that much? Never you mind, Eddie. I’m Klaus Stark. One of the seven outed a few years ago. Should have been when you were teensy-weensy. Anyways, do you guys wanna tell me your names? Or do you prefer anonymity?” 

Pietro let go of his sister and fretted over her for a moment. “You should know who we are,” he stated. 

Klaus just waved his hand and leaned against the wall. “I mean, I do. But I personally hate it when people run up to me in public and are all up in my face. And I’m famous. Well, not for much really, it’s just the name after all. But, anyways, would you like to tell me?” 

He glanced over at his twin and raised a dark eyebrow. She shook her head ever so slightly, telling him all he needed to know. “We’ll keep you in the dark,” Pietro replied. 

Klaus nodded, a small smile on his face. “Well, as long as I know what you look like. Now we do have to set a few ground rules while I’m here though. No blowing up the place, that’s for Brucie-bear and dad on Saturdays. Please try not to destroy your rooms, you may need those. Um… Oh, no boys, girls, or date mates after ten, Five gets a little cranky. Personally I believe it’s because he’s secretly an old man. And finally, if you need anything feel free to ask Friday.” 

Pietro wasn’t sure how to respond to that. From what he’s seen of the young Starks was stuck up and formal. He’s never seen a playful side. Wanda didn’t seem as keen on keeping her mouth shut, however. “We aren’t staying here,” she said defiantly. 

“That’s cool, just need to get you guys a citizenship before you can leave though. Right now you are under dad’s care and while you're here you're safe from anything the government tries to bring down on you. Just give it a few months, I’m pretty sure dad has enough political sway, right Eddie?” 

Klaus tilted his head to his right and listened to whoever was there. Pietro didn’t notice until now that the guy from earlier disappeared. He was about to question when Klaus turned sharply to his left and hissed. 

“What are you doing?” 

Klaus kept glaring to his left. “I’m trying to get Nearly headless Nick the fuck away from me. Go away.” He finally turned back to them with a triumphant grin. “He’s gone. Sorry about that. Sometimes evil assholes like him will try to rip my skin off of my skeleton but it’s chill. Anyways, it’ll only take a few months according to Eddie. Dad has enough money and political sway to lower the times for the testing and processing for both of you. I don’t know all of the reasons behind it, you’ll have to ask Benny if you really wanna know, but I do know that usually it can take up to years for them to get it all settled.” 

The twins were in shock. They really weren’t expecting the whiplash they’d get from him. First, he was being kind to them and including them in stuff even he didn’t know the full extent of. Then, he was also saying they could leave whenever it was done. “Why are you so nice?” Pietro was really confused and needed an answer. 

“I’m the nicest out of the bunch. You two pissed off the crankiest so I wouldn’t really expect any help from Five any time soon. But, trauma shapes a person in different ways, but he’s just always been a cynical bitch. Anywho, if you guys need food, there’s a kitchen. Recipes, just ask Friday and she can project them almost anywhere. If you need another human being then tell Friday and she’ll alert one of us. And if you need a ghost, then I’m your person.” 

He flashed a peace sign and mock saluted them before walking out the door. Klaus breathed a sigh of relief once the door was shut and thanked Someone that they didn’t try to attack him. He really wasn’t prepared for that shit. He slowly walked up the stairs to the upper floors and hoped against all hope that Dave was free for a video call. 

Five starred disdainfully down at his cup of coffee. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He hated when he got into moods like this, only able to taste the bitter coffee from the commission's office. It brought back memories that should have been buried with his siblings. 

Tony walked into the room and caught his glare. He raised a single eyebrow but decided not to press. Five was his kid after all, he would say how he was feeling when he felt like it. 

“You know what I saw?” He started lazily. Tony poured his own mug of coffee and leaned across the counter to look at him. “Thanos. And all of your corpses. Then I saw Morgan. She watched as he killed them all. She was last. I tried to stop him,” Five blurted. 

Tony smiled sadly at him. “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. It must have been rough.” 

Five snorted and took a long drink of his coffee. “That’s putting it lightly. I killed JFK by the way. Saw Bucky there. He couldn’t go through with it, the commission knew that so I was sent to finish it. I guess Hydra finally fucked his brain, huh?” 

Deflection, Tony thought wryly. “Well, it's gotta happen at some point I guess. Was Hydra part of the commission?” 

“I guess your brain isn’t as pea-sized as I thought it was. They were. They were a main branch actually and a key part in bringing on the apocalypse, they just didn’t know it. The commission played them like the cheap kazoo they are. They played right into their trap too. Red skull worked in accounting before they gave him field work. You know where that got him.” 

Tony snorted. “Yeah, well he obviously wasn’t very good at it.” 

Five smirked. “First and last of his division. He did manage to start Hydra but he lost to the dorito man. Kinda sad actually. I had more hope for him. As a person really, he was shitty from the beginning but not as shitty as Hitler. I’m glad he’s finally gone.” 

“‘Finally’ you really are an old man aren’t you?” Tony teased. 

“Shut it. At least I’m not physically fifty yet,” Five shot back. 

“Mentally is far worse. Besides, if we’re going by that then I’m only twenty-two. I stopped aging after you all hit four.” 

“I guess your meat suit didn’t get the memo. You look older than captain ice-pop.” 

Tony gasped and held a hand to his chest. “I’m disowning you. I have been betrayed by my own flesh and blood.” 

“I’m adopted,” Five replied dryly. Tony glared at him as he sipped his coffee. 

“You sure are.” 

Five grinned, looking more like a feral animal than anything, and stood up. “Well, it was lovely knowing you but if I’m being disowned then I really must pack. Tell the others I’ll see them in hell. Tell Vanya and Klaus to let me in when I get there, I know they’ll rule it with or without Satan meddling.” 

“Klaus is actually banned from Heaven and Hell,” Tony supplied helpfully. 

Five stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel. “He’s what now?” 

So they spent the rest of the day going over major changes in the timelines that Five missed. Mostly of his brothers’ and sisters’ fails and blunders, but that’s neither here nor there. They were in the middle of laughing over another story when Klaus walked in, looking much less flamboyant than usual. 

“Klaus, what happened?” 

“Oh, nothing a little whiskey can’t fix. Just the usual nearly headless asshole looking for revenge against someone. They really are a pesky problem huh?” He bounced over and took a seat at the bar. Tony grabbed a glass and the bottle and poured him some. “Danke. Would you believe that they have a grudge against us because one of the weapons that Stane double dealed killed their parents? The second one was a fluke, too. It didn’t even go off.” 

Tony sighed and dropped his head. “He really is kicking my ass in every timeline, huh,” he muttered lowly. 

“Timelines? Do tell,” Klaus said, looking far more interested than he should have been. Tony glanced up and didn’t have enough energy to even tell him off. “Is this some sort of time travel thing? I’ve heard some of the kinder assholes speaking about it. They said something was different about Five. Something about new spirits just randomly showing up and already being tethered for years.” 

“Five, how many people did you kill?” 

“You should know this answer pops. Almost every historical event was my doing. I was there for three years and able to travel whenever I wanted.” 

Klaus glanced at both of them and downed the rest of his whiskey. “I’ll call a family meeting,” he announced happily. Tony sighed again and dropped his head onto the bar. 

“The truth was bound to get out sometime,” he said quietly. Five nodded his agreement and poured himself a glass. “Are we telling them everything?” He nodded sharply and downed his drink. 

“Yep. They need to know.” 

Friday locked all entrance to the top floor when everyone was gathered. Luther, Allison, and Diego looked like they were sitting on pins and needles. They glanced over to their dad and oldest, by default, brother. 

Five looked older than usual. His tired eyes flitted around the room as he shifted in his chair. Tony glanced over at him and sighed. “Well, this isn’t how we planned on telling you but I guess it’s for the best.” 

Three hours later they sat in stunned silence. Vanya had tears rolling down her cheeks and Klauslooked sad but with a hint of excitement. Ben was horrified, along with Peter who was crying into Pepper’s side. 

“That explains so much. God, the ghosts confused me but this changes everything. That means that Kennedy following you around isn’t a fluke. I was wondering about that.” He stood up and walked closer, inspecting someone off to Five’s right. “Delores. Five, there’s a woman over there by the name of Delores. She says she wants to speak to you in private. I can tell her to fuck off if you want me too.” 

Five glanced over to his right with a pained expression. “Can it be in private?” 

“Yeppers. Go to your room and I’ll make her blue for you. Have fun, but not too much fun,” he said. Klaus winked at him and sat down beside Vanya, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. He lit up suddenly and whispered into her ear. She nodded and moved down to the floor so he could mess with her hair. She leaned back into his touch and sighed gratefully. 

Five left the room without another word. Klaus’s hands glowed faintly as he ranted his fingers through Vanya’s hair. Tony stared at him in shock. “How are you taking this so well?” 

“I always knew there was something off with Five. He seemed a little…” Klaus waved his hand in the air, “cynical I guess. And the number of times he snuck off to do whatever he was doing. It explains a lot of this I was confused about. I’ve always wondered why he would suddenly get ghosts that had tethers that looked like they’ve been there for years. I was honestly expecting something other than the time mafia but that works better than my other theories.” 

His fingers flitted expertly through Vanya’s hair and pulled his back into an intricate Dutch braid. The bottom was fish-tailed and held together with a bright pink scrunchie. Tony watched in awe as Vanya calmed down significantly. 

“Thanks Klaus,” she mumbled as she resituated herself onto the couch. Pepper smiled at them while she rubbed soothing circles into Peter’s back. They sat for a while longer before Five walked back in. He looked like he was crying, which was terrifying and sad at the same time. 

He waived off any of their attempts to comfort him, choosing to sit back in his chair instead. The rest of their day was spent in quiet voices and dull tones. Friday made sure that no one came up to bother them and they spent as much time together as possible. 


	24. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter :)

Tony roamed the now empty halls of the compound.

It had been three years since the twins were rescued. They decided that they didn’t want to stay with him but they waited for the paperwork to be filed before they even dared left. They were now living in a small farm upstate, where his house was after the snap, with Ultron and Vision. If he remembers correctly, they also had a few animals. 

Grace and Jarvis were cohabitating in the Malibu mansion. They decided that they wanted to try living on their own for a while. So far, they’ve been enjoying it. Tony built them a small dog over a year ago that they absolutely adore. 

Klaus and Dave got married several months ago. Dave proposed after his active-duty was up. Their wedding was over the top, like any Stark event. Klaus wore an extravagant wedding dress with a lace train. It was so intricate Tony couldn’t even find the words to describe it. Dave wore a black suit that was adorned with lace and beads. 

They moved down to Manhatten with their daughter, Morgan. She was adopted when she was three and it felt like a punch in the gut. Tony didn’t want any more kids, neither did Pepper. But their daughter reminded him so much of the little girl he left behind. He decided he was going to spoil her rotten. 

Allison was over at the newly rebuilt tower with her daughter, Claire, and her new boyfriend, Raymond. Tony did extensive research on him and decided that he could stay. Allison was still taking small movie roles but now she’s moved to be a civil rights activist with Raymond. 

They worked together for the lives that are still being taken unjustly and the children that don’t have places to live because of their orientation. They co-own a small cafe and safe place for homeless LGBTQ+ youth with Klaus and Dave. Tony’s been there a few times and loves the 1960s aesthetic they have. 

Luther’s on his way to Mars. He helped them build the ship along with Five and has never been more proud. Tony told him to call as soon as he could, even though he knows it could be years until he hears from his second youngest again. 

Ben became an English professor at Harvard. He’s called and ranted about a girl named Jill that he liked. It was an hour of Tony’s life that he didn’t regret for a moment. Now every time the raven-haired man calls, Tony has full parental rights to tease him. 

Vanya moved out on a farm with Sissy and Harlen down in Oklahoma. Tony will rant forever about how much he loves that little boy. Harlen is the sweetest kid he’s ever met and he will physically fight anyone that tries to say he isn’t. Vanya and Sissy aren’t married yet, but Tony considers him as much a grandchild as Vision and Ultron. 

Vanya’s still playing her violin, but it’s just small gigs down south. Tony always has Sissy record them and send it to him. He will never not watch his daughter play. 

Five has become the worlds leading physicist. He has been called down to Wakanda on occasion because even Shuri is impressed by his knowledge. He is also the reason Wakanda is working with Stark industries to integrate their tech into the rest of the world before they open their borders. 

Diego has climbed the ranks of the police force and is now a leading detective alongside Eudora Patch. Tony isn’t sure if they’re dating or not. But, that doesn’t stop him from treating her like family when she visits. They work homicide, the only two from their unit. His main weapon is still his knives, but he’s the only person on the force that can walk into a building with an active shooter without a kevlar vest and walk out unscathed. 

Sometimes when Klaus is bored he’ll do a ride-along and help them out. Those are the days the cases get solved the fastest. They keep trying to recruit him and he’ll come up with more ridiculous reasons why he can’t. One time he convinced them he was a time-traveling war vet from Vietnam and has seen too much already. 

Where he came up with that, still confuses Tony. 

Peter is still going to Mid-Town High. He was ecstatic when Harry finally returned from England and now his group is back together. Tony feels like he should introduce them to Shuri but he’d rather keep his brown hair, thank you. 

Bucky and Steve have finally quit dancing around each other and moved into a small apartment in Boston. For their housewarming gift, Natasha got them a plastic plant and convinced Steve it was real. He’s still watering it to this day. Steve’s retired the shield and passed it on to Sam. 

Sam is one of the few active Avengers. He still uses his wings along with his new suit. But, the suit being passed on to him has pissed off many. Tony held a press conference and made sure to call those people out for being the racist assholes they are. Sam stood beside him, defending his honor as the new Captain America. 

Natasha and Bruce have moved away to a South American country that Tony can’t remember the name of. Bruce works as the town’s only doctor while Natasha teaches everyone defense techniques. Tony’ll check up on them occasionally and see if they need any help. They always deny him every time, but they never seem to struggle. Both have seemed to let go of the most horrifying of their pasts and are living rather peacefully. 

Natasha has actually bleached her hair to a light blond, getting rid of the red that stained it forever. 

Rhodey retired from the military once he hit fifty. Tony found it amusing that he stayed for that long even though he didn’t need to. They’d joke about his abandonment issues and bring up the fact that his family is somehow still bigger than Tony’s. 

Happy retired too, choosing instead to move on from being a bodyguard. He now owns a small bakery with Bucky and May. The poor woman may not be able to cook, but she makes amazing hot drinks. Happy can cook well enough for the both of them. But, most of the customers come for Bucky’s sweets. Honestly, Tony can’t blame them. 

Thor and his people had to move to Norway after Asgard was destroyed. Tony let them stay in the compound for as long as they needed, going as far as to make the arrangements himself. They only stayed for a few months, but those few months had been hell for him. 

Loki and Klaus had become best friends and caused so much trouble they gave Bucky a run for his money. For a while, Loki was actually scared of Natasha. There was an incident where they needed to remove all of their weapons and she had many more real knives than he did. The fear in his eyes as he watched her continue had Tony in tears. 

Peter and Loki also formed an alliance. They worked with the rest of Peter’s friends to pull as many pranks as possible. Tony knew who pulled what, however. Klaus and Loki would deface public property with pride flags. But they only did it to known homophobic places, Chick-fil-a for example. While Peter and Loki just pulled harmless stunts around the compound. 

Clint moved back to his farm with his family and invites them over for every holiday. His kids have taken to calling Tony their uncle and he’s never been happier. They tried to call Klaus their uncle too but he corrected them with auncle. He said it was either that or My Liege. They seemed confused at first but then he explained how he didn’t identify as male or female and they seemed to understand. 

It really is impressive how impressionable and understanding kids are, huh.

Stark Industries is worldwide but Tony was able to make arrangements so that Pepper could work from home. Sometimes she’ll need to fly out for meetings, but usually Tony will go with and they’ll make it a date night when she gets back to the hotel. 

Tony has put up his suits. He’s now a retired hero with no need for the mechanical suits he’s created. He’s dismantled the more high-tech suits and put them in storage for a time that may call for it, while the others were given to the government. The ones that were given away, of course, are heavily monitored by Friday and can be remotely shut down if she discovers that they’re being used inappropriately. 

Tony is proud of his baby girl. 

He grabbed the last box and heaved it out of the now empty room. “Boss, one of the bots could carry that for you,” Friday said helpfully. 

Tony chuckled as he walked. “Are you calling me old, Fri?” 

“I’m saying that as you age your body becomes more susceptible to damage. That box weighs approximately fifty pounds and should not be lifted for extended periods of time by someone your age.” 

“So yeah, you’re calling me old,” Tony replied, voice lacking emotion. 

“I don’t want to see you getting hurt, Boss. It’s against my protocols to allow you to do anything potentially harmful to your wellbeing.” 

Tony chuckled again and walked out the open door, heaving the box into the jet. “Well, I am perfectly well and I just carried the box through the compound. This is safer than fighting Thanos.” 

“My drives do not have that name saved. Should I search for a virus?” 

“Nah, baby girl. Don’t worry about it. He was from a past life. Now, how about I get you out of there, huh?” Tony walked back in toward the monitoring systems and slowly unhooked Friday from the mainframe. He downloaded her data into his phone and sent it to his and Pepper’s new house. “That’s better.” 

“I still don’t understand why you must move. Both you and Lady Boss will be much safer here. Little Boss too. People are less inclined to attack a fortified place like this. They won’t feel the need to harm either of you.” 

“Fri, baby girl. No one is going to hurt us. We’ve already had enough pain for four lifetimes, and I’ve lived two. Please, stop worrying,” Tony placated. His AI heaved an automated sigh and seemed to mutter something.

He got into the jet and set it into autopilot as he flew through the sky. Tony pulled up his and Pepper’s messages and sent out a quick text saying he’d be home shortly. 

The smell of cinnamon wafted through the air as he walked into their small apartment. He inhaled deeply and sighed when he saw the steaming cinnamon rolls. Pepper smiled at him and swatted his hand when he went to grab one. “Not yet. Peter’ll be home soon with his friends. Wait until they get here before you eat them all. At least give them a fighting chance.” 

“But Pepper,” he whined, drawing out her name longer than strictly necessary, “I love your cinnamon rolls.” 

“Well, you can love them even more when our son gets home. Help me set the table please.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was planning on adding the commission getting their panties in a twist because the world didn't end but like- they've already been through hell, and fuck the commission, they can suck a dick. Well, except Herb and Dot, those two are pretty great. Let me know if I should post a chapter like that. Also, tell me how you all feel in the comments, I love hearing from you :D


End file.
